Gareth Bale won the PFA Player of the Year and PFA Young Player
of the Year award on Sunday night. Congratulations to the young Welshman who
has continued his progress from wing wonder to all out star. No doubt fans of
Robin van Persie, Luis Suarez et al will be up in arms that Bale has won, but
it is the candidates on the Young Player short-list who should be angered.
It is such a waste to have Bale win both categories. If he
is player of the year, he is de facto young player of the year, de facto Welsh
player of the year, de facto left footed, side parting and silly celebration
player of the year (although Daniel Sturridge pushes him awfully close in the
latter category).
You would think the PFA would rather have separate winners
as well – Bale wins two more awards isn’t as interesting as Bale is Player of
the Year and, let’s say, Benteke is young player of the year. Twice the
players, twice the clubs, twice the coverage. The actual number of votes are
never revealed anyone so it is not like anyone will care if Bale was
technically the Young player winner as well, he’s picked up the big prize and
it actually seems bizarre that the Player of the Year winner wouldn’t also win
the Young Player award too if eligible – if Benteke was a better candidate for
the Young Player award, he would be a better candidate for the full award too,
no? It would hardly go against the law of man if the PFA said if you win the
full award, you cannot win the junior category as well.
The current set-up is weird. You can argue that these awards
are largely meaningless anyway, but if we are to indulge the PFA then they
might as well give us the maximum payback.
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