Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has been named FWA Footballer of the Year for 2019/20, an accolade that is a nod to achievements both on and off the pitch during this season.
The Reds skipper lifted the Premier League trophy earlier this week to cap off an incredible campaign for the club, ending a 30-year wait since their last league title in 1990.
BREAKING - Jordan Henderson is the new Footballer of the Year for 2019-20. The Liverpool and England midfielder held off strong competition from Kevin De Bruyne, Marcus Rashford and other LFC team-mates to win football oldest individual award. Details: https://t.co/fHqoq9Rl1d pic.twitter.com/8s3uCYyGCG
— The FWA (@theofficialfwa) July 24, 2020
Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, who has recorded 19 assists, and Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford, who successfully lobbied the government to help feed children in struggling families, were other strong contenders for the honour. Liverpool stars Virgil van Dijk, Sadio Mane, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alisson Becker also received votes.
Led by Henderson, Liverpool swept all before them to secure the earliest title win in Premier League history, doing so with seven games left to play. Bizarrely and very uniquely, it was also the latest ever title win owing to the time of year following the coronavirus-enforced break.
Away from the pitch, Henderson has also done incredible work, creating and driving forward the #PlayersTogether movement that saw Premier League players come together in order to give to NHS Charities during the darkest days of the coronavirus crisis.
??? ??????? ?@JHenderson has been named @theofficialfwa's Player of the Year ??#FOTY20 pic.twitter.com/ie0mOJXofA
— Liverpool FC (Premier League Champions ?) (@LFC) July 24, 2020
“As grateful as I am I don’t feel like I can accept this on my own,” Henderson told the FWA. “I don’t feel like anything I’ve achieved this season or in fact during my whole career has been done on my own. I owe a lot to so many different people – but none more so than my current teammates – who have just been incredible and deserve this every bit as much as I do.
“I accept it on behalf of this whole squad, because without them I’m not in a position to be receiving this honour. These lads have made me a better player – a better leader and a better person. If anything, I hope those who voted for me did so partly to recognise the entire team’s contribution.
“Individual awards are nice and they are special and I will cherish this one. But an individual award without the collective achievement wouldn’t mean anywhere as much to me – if anything at all.”
Henderson, who is the sole survivor from the Liverpool squad that went agonisingly close to Premier League glory in 2013/14, is the second Reds player to be honoured with the FWA prize in the last three season after Mohamed Salah was presented with the award in 2017/18.
Luis Suarez and Steven Gerrard are the other Liverpool players to have won it in the Premier League era, while John Barnes was the recipient in 1989/90 when the club was last crowned champions.
Last year’s FWA winner was Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling.
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Source : 90min