- Foden contributed 19 goals and eight assists as City narrowly edged out Arsenal for the title
- Foden also won the Premier League Player of the Season and Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year awards
- Foden expressed his pride and gratitude for the award, thanking Pep Guardiola, the coaching staff, and his teammates
Manchester City forward Phil Foden claimed the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year award on Tuesday, August 20. The 24-year-old played a pivotal role in City's triumph, helping them secure a fourth consecutive Premier League title in the 2023/24 season.
With 19 goals and eight assists, Foden was instrumental as City narrowly beat Arsenal to the title on the final matchday.
Foden, who made 7 appearances at Euro 2024, expressed his pride in winning the award, saying, "To win this award is something very special, and it is one that I am very proud of and grateful for."
He also thanked his manager Pep Guardiola, the coaching staff, and his teammates for their continuous support.
Foden’s focus is now on winning a fifth successive Premier League title after City kicked off their campaign with a 2-0 victory over Chelsea.
He also bagged the Premier League Player of the Season and Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year awards.
Where are the PFA POTY winners of the last 10 years?
The PFA Players' Player of the Year award is one of the most prestigious individual accolades in English football. Over the past decade, this honour has been bestowed upon some of the game’s brightest stars, from relentless goalscorers to rock-solid defenders.
Here’s a look at where the last 10 recipients of the award are now and how their careers have unfolded:
1. Gareth Bale (2010/11): Gareth Bale is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a winger, most notably for Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid and the Wales national team. He is widely regarded as one of the best footballers of his generation and one of the greatest Welsh players of all time.
He was known for his explosive pace, athleticism, and powerful strikes from a distance. On 9 January 2023, following the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Bale announced his retirement from professional football.
He won the PFA Players Player of the Year in the 2012/2013 season for the second time having previously won it in the 2010/2011 season, winning both awards while at Tottenham Hotspur.
2. Luis Suarez (2013/14): Luis Suarez is a Uruguayan striker who has played for several top European clubs including Liverpool, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid. He is known for his exceptional goal-scoring abilities and his controversial on-field behaviour.
Suarez has won numerous awards throughout his career, including the PFA Players Player of the Year award and the European Golden Shoe.
He won the PFA Players Player of the Year in the 2013/2014 season.
He currently plays as a striker for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami and captains the Uruguay national team.
3. Eden Hazard (2014/15): Eden Michael Walter Hazard is a Belgian former professional footballer who played as a winger or attacking midfielder for Lille, Chelsea, Real Madrid, and the Belgium national team. He is regarded as one of the best players of his generation.
On 10 October 2023, three months after he departed from Madrid, Hazard announced his decision to retire from professional football at age 32.
He won the PFA Players Player of the Year in the 2014/2015 season.
4. Riyad Mahrez (2015/16): Riyad Mahrez joined Manchester City in July 2018 from Leicester City. He is an Algerian international who was born in Sarcelles, France, and won the Premier League title with Leicester in 2016.
After winning the Treble with City in 2023/24, he moved to Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League in a £30m deal, where he currently plays.
He won the PFA Players Player of the Year in the 2015/2016 season.
5. N’Golo Kanté (2016/17): N'Golo Kanté is a French professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad. He is known for his work rate and defensive acumen.
Individually, Kante has been awarded the Premier League Player of the Season, the PFA Players' Player of the Year, the FWA Footballer of the Year, the UEFA Men's Midfielder of the Year, and the Trophées UNFP for Best French Player Abroad twice.
He won the PFA Players Player of the Year in the 2016/2017 season.
6. Mohamed Salah (2017/18, 2021/22): Mohamed Salah is one of the world's best and most prolific forwards and a serial winner with Liverpool FC since arriving at Anfield in the summer of 2017.
The Egyptian has been an unstoppable scorer following his transfer from AS Roma and has collected medals in the Premier League, Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, Emirates FA Cup, UEFA Super Cup, Carabao Cup and FA Community Shield.
He passed the 250-appearance and 150-goal marks and entered the top 10 of the club's all-time leading scorers list during a 2021-22 season in which he lifted the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, and helped his team reach the third Champions League final of his Liverpool career and finish second in the Premier League. He is still under contract with Liverpool FC until 2025.
He won the PFA Players Player of the Year in the 2017/2018 and in the 2021/2022 season.
7. Virgil van Dijk (2018/19): Virgil van Dijk has established himself as one of the finest defenders in world football since joining Liverpool FC in January 2018 and is currently the club captain.
The powerful Netherlands international, who combines a graceful reading of the game with a dominant physical skillset, has helped the Reds lift a host of the biggest trophies available to date.
He played every single minute of the 2019-20 Premier League campaign as Liverpool gloriously and emphatically ended their wait for the title with a club-record 99 points.
He won the PFA Players Player of the Year in the 2018/2019 season.
8. Kevin De Bruyne (2019/20, 2020/21): A highly rated youngster back then who has now developed into one of the finest midfielders in the game, City secured Kevin De Bruyne’s services in the summer of 2015.
Known as one of the continent’s assist kings, he arrived with a huge reputation, but after just one full season in Manchester, it was evident that it was more than justified.
KDB remains one of City’s greatest signings of modern times and was included in the FIFPro World XI for a third consecutive year in February 2023.
The Belgian’s prowess in the opposition’s half has helped City win vital games and secure our third consecutive Premier League title.
He won the PFA Players Player of the Year twice in the 2019/2020 and the 2020/2021 seasons. He became the first player to win the award twice since Gareth Bale in the 2012/2013 season.
9. Erling Haaland (2022/23): Erling Haaland is a Norwegian footballer who plays as a striker for Manchester City. City signed Haaland from Borussia Dortmund for £51m in the summer of 2022, and he is regarded as perhaps the world's best young footballing talent, scoring a record-shattering 52 goals in his first season with the Blues.
The Man City forward has also won the EPL Golden Boot twice.
He won the PFA Players Player of the Year in the 2022/2023 season.
10. Phil Foden (2023/24): Widely regarded as one of England’s most gifted players, lifelong Blue Phil Foden excelled at youth level before graduating into the first team.
The Stockport-born playmaker joined City at the Under-9 level now. A creative, left-footed midfielder, Foden allies his eye for a pass with an ability to glide past opponents, something which stood out during his time in the Academy.
The midfielder marked his 200th senior City appearance with a goal and assist against Bournemouth in February 2023. Foden added to his huge collection of winner’s medals with City after the 4-0 FIFA Club World win over Fluminense in December 2023 - scoring the third goal of the evening.
And to top off arguably his best season for his boyhood club, Foden was named the Premier League Player of the Season being the most recent recipient of the coveted award after he scored 19 goals and assisted eight during his vital role in City laying claim to a historic fourth successive Premier League title.
Match week 1 review: Arsenal leads Liverpool, Man City, Chelsea, others in standings
Previously, TheRadar reported that Arsenal and Liverpool both kicked off their campaigns with wins, showcasing early signs of title ambition, while Manchester United left it late to secure all three points against a stubborn Fulham.
However, it was Leicester City's return to the top flight that stole the show, as Jamie Vardy once again played the villain at Tottenham’s expense.
