PFA Merit Award#1990's

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}

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| footer = Fara Williams and Dean Lewington are the most recent honorees in 2024

| image1 = Fara Williams England Ladies v Montenegro 5 4 2014 377.jpg

| alt1 = Williams in 2014

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| image2 = Lewington, Dean.jpg

| alt2 = Lewington in 2011

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The Professional Footballers' Association Merit Award (often called the PFA Merit Award, or simply the Merit Award) is an award given by the Professional Footballers' Association (the PFA) for meritorious service to football.[http://www.givemefootball.com/rolls_of_honour/meritroll.html PFA Merit Award 1974-2007] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071215141356/http://www.givemefootball.com/rolls_of_honour/meritroll.html |date=15 December 2007 }}

The award was first given in 1974, and was won (jointly) by Bobby Charlton and Cliff Lloyd. The first woman to win the award was Steph Houghton in 2019. In 2022, the award was separated into two: women's and men's.

The most recent winners of the award are Fara Williams and Dean Lewington.

List of winners

=1970s=

class="wikitable"
YearWinner(s)width="350px" |Note
width="50px" rowspan="2"| 1974width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Sir Bobby Charlton CBE, OBErowspan="2"| First winners of the award
{{flagicon|ENG}} Cliff Lloyd
width="50px"| 1975width="315px" | {{flagicon|SCO}} Denis Law CBEFirst winner of the award from outside England
width="50px"| 1976width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} George Eastham OBE
width="50px"| 1977width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Jack Taylor OBE
width="50px"| 1978width="315px" | {{flagicon|SCO}} Bill Shankly OBE
width="50px"| 1979width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Sir Tom Finney OBE

=1980s=

class="wikitable"
YearWinner(s)width="350px" |Notes
width="50px"| 1980width="315px" | {{flagicon|SCO}} Sir Matt Busby OBE
width="50px"| 1981width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} John Trollope MBE
width="50px"| 1982width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Joe Mercer OBE
width="50px"| 1983width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Bob Paisley OBE
width="50px"| 1984width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Bill Nicholson OBE
width="50px"| 1985width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Ron Greenwood CBE
width="50px"| 1986width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} England World Cup squad 1966
width="50px"| 1987width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Sir Stanley Matthews CBE
width="50px"| 1988width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Billy Bonds MBE
width="50px"| 1989width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Nat Lofthouse OBE

=1990s=

class="wikitable"
YearWinner(s)width="350px" |Notes
width="50px"| 1990width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Peter Shilton OBE
width="50px"| 1991width="315px" | {{flagicon|SCO}} Tommy Hutchison
width="50px"| 1992width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Brian Clough OBE
width="50px" rowspan="2"| 1993width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Manchester United European Cup squad 1968{{flagicon|IRE}} Shay Brennan and {{flagicon|IRE}} Tony Dunne
Joint first winner of the award from outside Great Britain
Joint first winner of the award from outside the United Kingdom
{{flagicon|POR}} EusébioJoint first winner of the award from outside Great Britain
Joint first winner of the award from outside the United Kingdom
width="50px"| 1994width="315px" | {{flagicon|NIR}} Billy Bingham MBE
width="50px"| 1995width="315px" | {{flagicon|SCO}} Gordon Strachan OBE
width="50px"| 1996width="315px" | {{flagicon|BRA}} PeléFirst winner of the award from outside Europe
width="50px"| 1997width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Peter Beardsley MBE
width="50px"| 1998width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Steve Ogrizovic
width="50px"| 1999width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Tony Ford MBE

=2000s=

class="wikitable"
YearWinner(s)width="350px" |Notes
width="50px"| 2000width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Gary Mabbutt MBE
width="50px"| 2001width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Jimmy Hill OBE
width="50px"| 2002width="315px" | {{flagicon|IRE}} Niall Quinn
width="50px"| 2003width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Sir Bobby Robson CBE
width="50px"| 2004width="315px" | {{flagicon|ITA}} Dario Gradi MBE
width="50px"| 2005width="315px" | {{flagicon|TRI}} Shaka Hislop CM
width="50px"| 2006width="315px" | {{flagicon|NIR}} George Best
width="50px"| 2007width="315px" | {{flagicon|SCO}} Sir Alex Ferguson CBE
width="50px"| 2008width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Jimmy Armfield OBE
width="50px"| 2009width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} John McDermott

=2010s=

class="wikitable"
YearWinner(s)width="350px" |Notes
width="50px"| 2010width="315px" | {{flagicon|SAF}} Lucas Radebe
width="50px"| 2011width"315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Howard Webb
width="50px"| 2012width"315px" | {{flagicon|SCO}} Graham Alexander
width="50px"| 2013width"315px" | Manchester United Class of '92
width="50px"| 2014width"315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Donald Bell VC
width="50px" rowspan=2| 2015width"315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Steven Gerrard MBE{{cite web |title=Gerrard & Lampard share PFA Merit Award |url=http://www.goal.com/en/news/9/england/2015/04/26/11170022/gerrard-lampard-share-pfa-merit-award?ICID=AR_RS_1|publisher=Goal.com |date=26 April 2015 |accessdate=26 April 2015}}
{{flagicon|ENG}} Frank Lampard OBE
width="50px"| 2016width"315px" | {{flagicon|WAL}} Ryan Giggs OBE{{Cite web|url=https://www.thepfa.com/news/2016/4/24/ryan-giggs-wins-pfa-merit-award|title=Ryan Giggs wins PFA Merit award|last=Sports|first=PA|website=thepfa.com|access-date=2016-04-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160509131547/https://www.thepfa.com/news/2016/4/24/ryan-giggs-wins-pfa-merit-award|archive-date=9 May 2016|url-status=dead}}
width="50px"| 2017width"315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} David Beckham OBE
2018

|{{flagicon|ENG}} Cyrille Regis MBE{{Cite web|url=https://www.thepfa.com/thepfa/pfaawards/pfa-merit-award-winner-cyrille-regis|title=PFA Merit Award winner Cyrille Regis|website=thepfa.com|language=en|access-date=2018-05-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180509013532/https://www.thepfa.com/thepfa/pfaawards/pfa-merit-award-winner-cyrille-regis|archive-date=9 May 2018|url-status=dead}}

2019

|{{flagicon|ENG}} Steph Houghton MBE{{Cite web|url=https://www.thepfa.com:443/news/2019/4/28/pfa-merit-award-winner-steph-houghton|title=PFA Merit Award winner Steph Houghton|website=thepfa.com|language=en|access-date=2019-04-29}}

| First female to receive award.

=2020s=

class="wikitable"
YearWinner(s)width="350px" |Notes
width="50px"| 2020width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Marcus Rashford MBE{{cite news|url=https://www.manutd.com/en/news/detail/man-utd-striker-marcus-rashford-recognised-with-pfa-merit-award|title=Rashford wins PFA Award|website=manutd.com |publisher=Manchester United|date=8 September 2020 |accessdate=9 September 2020}}
width="50px"| 2021width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Gordon Taylor OBE{{cite news|url=https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/news/gordon-taylor-receives-pfa-merit-award-for-his-services-to-football_450441.html|title=Gordon Taylor receives PFA merit award for his services to football|website=sportsmole.co.uk|publisher=Sports Mole|date=6 June 2021|accessdate=7 June 2021}}
rowspan=2 width="50px"| 2022width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Roy Hodgson CBE{{cite news|url=https://www.thepfa.com/news/2022/6/9/pfa-awards-merit-award-roy-hodgson|title=Roy Hodgson wins PFA Merit Award|publisher=PFA|date=9 June 2021|accessdate=30 August 2023}}
width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Hope Powell OBE{{cite news|url=https://www.thepfa.com/news/2022/6/9/pfa-awards-merit-award-hope-powell|title=Hope Powell wins PFA Merit Award|publisher=PFA|date=9 June 2021|accessdate=30 August 2023}}First time men's and women's PFA Merit awards were separated
rowspan=2 width="50px"| 2023width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Ian Wright OBE{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/aug/30/rachel-daly-and-erling-haaland-win-pfa-player-of-the-year-awards|title=Rachel Daly and Erling Haaland win PFA player of the year awards|website=The Guardian|date=29 August 2023|accessdate=30 August 2023}}
width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Jill Scott MBE
rowspan=2 width="50px"| 2024width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Dean Lewington
width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Fara Williams MBE

Breakdown of winners

=Winners by country=

class="wikitable"
CountryNumber of wins
bgcolor=#FFF60F

| width="200px"| {{fb|England}}

width="25px"| 37
{{fb|Scotland}}7
{{fb|Northern Ireland}}2
{{fb|Trinidad and Tobago}}rowspan="7" | 1
{{fb|Italy}}
{{fb|Republic of Ireland}}
{{fb|Brazil}}
{{fb|Portugal}}
{{fb|South Africa}}
{{fb|Wales}}

References

{{reflist}}