Professional Footballer’s Association Young Player of the Year, often known as PFA Young Player of the Year or simply Young Player of the Year is an award given annually to players at the age of 23 or under.
The award is always given to a player who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in English football.
The award has been presented since the 1973–74 season and the winner is chosen by a vote amongst the members of the players’ trade union, the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA).
The first winner of the award was Ipswich Town defender Kevin Beattie and the current holder is Raheem Sterling for the year 2018/2019.
Although the award is open to players at all levels,[1] all winners to date have played in the highest division of the English football league system.
As of 2017, only Ryan Giggs, Robbie Fowler, Wayne Rooney and Dele Alli have won the award on more than one occasion. Only seven players from outside the United Kingdom have won the trophy, compared with fifteen winners of the main PFA Players’ Player of the Year award.
Although they have their own dedicated award, players aged 23 or under at the start of the season remain eligible to win the Players’ Player of the Year award, and on three occasions the same player has won both awards for a season.
In 2018 Ryan Sessegnon of Fulham became the first player from outside the top division of English football to be nominated for the award.
The award has been issued in 46 occasions with only 42 winners.