PFA Team of the Year

PFA Team of the Year
Name	PFA Team of the Year
Awarded for	Outstanding performance in English football divisions
Presenter	Professional Footballers' Association
Country	England
First awarded	1973
Website	Professional Footballers' Association

PFA Team of the Year. The PFA Team of the Year is an annual football selection recognizing outstanding players across Premier League, EFL Championship, EFL League One, EFL League Two and Women's Super League divisions, presented by the Professional Footballers' Association and widely reported by BBC Sport, The Guardian, The Telegraph and Sky Sports. Players voted into the team have included leaders from Manchester United, Liverpool F.C., Arsenal F.C., Chelsea F.C. and Manchester City F.C., with many selections later honored by Ballon d'Or, FIFA World Cup appearances and transfers to clubs such as Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Juventus.

History

The award began in 1973 amid debates involving the Professional Footballers' Association, Jimmy Hill, Tony Book, Alan Ball and figures from English Football League governance, evolving through eras defined by Bob Paisley, Brian Clough, Alex Ferguson, Arsène Wenger and Jürgen Klopp. During the 1980s and 1990s the list reflected dominance by Liverpool F.C. and Manchester United, while the 2000s and 2010s saw recurring selections from Chelsea F.C. and Manchester City F.C. following investments associated with Roman Abramovich and Sheikh Mansour. The women's team was introduced alongside rising professionalization marked by FA WSL reforms, parallel to recognition campaigns involving Hope Powell, Sarina Wiegman and Phil Neville.

Selection Process

Voting is conducted among members of the Professional Footballers' Association with ballots circulated to professionals across divisions including Premier League, EFL Championship, EFL League One, EFL League Two, Scottish Professional Football League overlaps and the FA Women's Super League. The process entails peer nominations and positional consideration involving fullbacks, centre-backs, midfielders and forwards, reflecting standards set by managers and scouts associated with UEFA, FIFA, The FA and club technical directors from Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Everton F.C., Aston Villa F.C. and Newcastle United F.C.. Shortlists often reference statistics compiled by analysts at Opta Sports, Stats Perform and media outlets like ESPN and FourFourTwo.

Notable Winners and Records

Multiple inclusions track legends such as Ryan Giggs, Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, Paolo Maldini-styled references via John Terry, and modern repeat selections like Kevin De Bruyne, Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Harry Kane. Record holders include perennial selections from clubs like Manchester United squads of the 1990s and Liverpool squads of the 2010s; individuals have achieved consecutive inclusions that paralleled awards such as PFA Players' Player of the Year, FWA Footballer of the Year and continental honors including UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award. Young players promoted from Academy ranks at Manchester United Academy, Southampton F.C. Academy and Ajax Youth Academy have appeared alongside veterans from Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid in cross-league comparisons.

Impact and Reception

Selection into the team has influenced player market value in transfer windows managed by FIFA Transfer Matching System norms, drawing attention from clubs including Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Inter Milan. Media coverage by Sky Sports, BBC Sport, The Guardian and international outlets like L'Équipe and Marca amplifies reputational effects that affect endorsement deals negotiated with brands such as Nike, Adidas and Puma. Players’ inclusion has been cited in contract negotiations involving agents affiliated with firms linked to Mino Raiola, Jorge Mendes and Jonathan Barnett.

Lists by Year and Division

Annual published lists span decades, with archives compiled by the Professional Footballers' Association, chronicling squads for the 1970s in association football, 1980s in association football, 1990s in association football, 2000s in association football, 2010s in association football and 2020s in association football. Each season’s XI often mirrors league tables from Premier League seasons, EFL Championship seasons and FA WSL seasons and is referenced in year-by-year summaries alongside cup runs in FA Cup, EFL Cup and European campaigns such as the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.

Criticisms and Controversies

Criticism has arisen regarding positional bias, media influence from outlets like The Sun, Daily Mail and Mirror and perceived club-based lobbying involving executives from Chelsea F.C., Manchester City F.C. and Arsenal F.C.. Controversies have included debates over selections during seasons affected by COVID-19 pandemic (2019–20) disruptions, disputes about inclusion criteria amid international breaks and discussions about representation for players from Burnley F.C., Crystal Palace F.C., Brentford F.C. and promoted sides. Accusations of regional bias and repetitiveness have prompted commentary from pundits such as Gary Lineker, Jamie Carragher, Graeme Souness and Alan Shearer.

Category:Association football trophies and awards