PFA Young Player of the Year

{{Short description|English football award}}

{{About|the men's award|the women's award|PFA Women's Young Player of the Year}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}

{{Infobox sports award

| name = PFA Young Player of the Year

| image = Yokohama F. Marinos - Manchester City (3-5) - 53075276869 (Cole Palmer).jpg

| image_size = 200px

| alt =

| caption = 2024 winner Cole Palmer

| sport = Association football

| competition = All levels of English football

| discipline =

| givenfor =

| english =

| localnames =

| nickname =

| sponsor =

| location =

| country = England and Wales

| presenter = PFA

| first = 1973–74

| number = 50

| last =

| firstwinner = {{flagicon|ENG}} Kevin Beattie

| mostwins =

| mostrecent = {{flagicon|ENG}} Cole Palmer (2024)

| url = [https://www.thepfa.com/thepfa/pfa-awards Official website]

}}

The Professional Footballers' Association Young Player of the Year (often called the PFA Young Player of the Year, or simply the Young Player of the Year) is an annual award given to the young player who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in English football. As of 2021, players must have been aged 21 or under as of 1 July immediately preceding the start of the season;{{cite web|url=https://www.thepfa.com/news/2021/6/2/pfa-awards-mens-nominees|title=PFA Awards Men's Nominees|publisher=Professional Footballers' Association|access-date=2 June 2021}} in the past the age limit has been 23, which led to criticism in the media over whether a player who was 24 years old at the end of the season could really be considered "young" in footballing terms.{{cite web|url=http://www.englandfootballonline.com/TeamHons/HonsPFAYngPlyr.html|title=England Player Honours – Professional Footballers' Association Young Players of the Year|publisher=England Football Online|access-date=15 March 2008|date=19 June 2007}}{{cite web|url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2433756-power-ranking-the-pfa-young-player-of-the-year-shortlist|title=Power Ranking the PFA Young Player of the Year Shortlist|work=Bleacher Report|first=Alex|last=Dimond|date=17 April 2015|access-date=2 June 2021}} 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. The current holder is Chelsea player Cole Palmer, who won the award on 20 August 2024.

Although the award is open to players at all levels, all winners to date have played in the highest division of the English football league system. In 2018 Ryan Sessegnon of Fulham became the first player from outside the top division of English football to be nominated for the award.{{cite web|url=https://www.eurosport.co.uk/football/premier-league/2017-2018/de-bruyne-salah-kane-de-gea-sane-and-silva-nominated-for-pfa-premier-league-player-of-the-year_sto6712657/story.shtml|title=De Bruyne, Salah, Kane, De Gea, Sane and Silva nominated for PFA Premier League Player of the Year|publisher=Eurosport|date=14 April 2018|access-date=15 April 2018}} As of 2024, only Ryan Giggs, Robbie Fowler, Wayne Rooney, Dele Alli and Phil Foden have won the award on more than one occasion. Only seven players from outside the United Kingdom have won the trophy,The total of seven includes Cyrille Regis, who was born in French Guiana but represented England at international level. compared with fifteen winners of the main PFA Players' Player of the Year award. Although they have their own dedicated award, players aged 21 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.

A shortlist of nominees is published in April and the winner of the award, along with the winners of the PFA's other annual awards, is announced at a gala event in London.{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article1660489.ece|title=United trio lead nominations for PFA award|work=The Times|access-date=14 March 2008|date=16 April 2007}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} The players themselves consider the award to be highly prestigious, because the winner is chosen by his fellow professionals.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/4478367.stm|title=Rooney secures young player prize |work=BBC Sport |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation |date=24 April 2005 |access-date=17 March 2008}}