Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane lead PFA Player of the Year shortlist

Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane make the cut for the PFA Player of the Year shortlist – with ONLY Kevin De Bruyne from champions Man City on the six-man list… as Son, Rice and Alexander-Arnold miss out

  • The Players’ Football Association have announced the Player of the Year shortlist 
  • Despite Man United’s worst Premier League season, Cristiano Ronaldo is on it 
  • Kevin De Bruyne is Man City’s only representative despite them winning the title 
  • Son Heung-min and Trent Alexander-Arnold are among those not making the cut

Cristiano Ronaldo has made the six-man shortlist for the PFA’s Men’s Player of the Year award – with league runners up Liverpool boasting three representatives.  

Manchester United suffered their worst-ever Premier League season, finishing down in sixth. 

But Ronaldo, 37, who is a two-time winner of this award having won it consecutively for 2006-07 and 2007-08, finished the campaign with 18 league goals and three assists, firing himself into contention for Player of the Year honours.  

Cristiano Ronaldo has earned a spot on the PFA’s six man Player of the Year shortlist

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Harry Kane (left) and two-time winner Kevin De Bruyne (right) are also on the list of nominees

An inclusion from Manchester United came as one surprise but there was another with champions Manchester City only winning a spot for one representative, Kevin De Bruyne.

Much was made about the impacts of Bernardo Silva and Rodri, but both failed to make the cut with Belgian superstar De Bruyne the only City player to make the final shortlist. 

De Bruyne, who won the award in 2020 and 2021, will be the favourite to reclaim the award after another stellar campaign from the 30-year-old midfielder. 

With 15 goals and eight assists, De Bruyne was once again central to the success of Pep Guardiola’s side en route to the domestic crown. 

Manchester City playmaker Bernardo Silva (left) was expected to be firmly in contention

PFA PLAYER OF THE YEAR SHORTLIST 

Cristiano Ronaldo – Manchester United

Harry Kane – Tottenham Hotspur 

Kevin De Bruyne – Manchester City 

Virgil van Dijk – Liverpool 

Sadio Mané – Liverpool 

Mohamed Salah – Liverpool 

 

While City may feel aggrieved at their lack of representation on the final list of six nominees, Liverpool discovered they covered 50 per cent, with Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk all up for the award. 

The award is selected by fellow professionals and Liverpool’s assault for a famous quadruple, eventually ending with two trophies rather than four, won the respect of many of their peers. 

It comes as no surprise that Salah is one of the frontrunners, having finished the 2021-22 season as the joint-highest goal scorer, as well as producing the most assists.

The Egyptian, who won the award in a stunning 2017-18 season, netted 22 league goals and added 13 assists.

Salah will face stiff competition from Van Dijk, who won the award in 2018-19, and Mane, who has yet to win this award.

For Mane, he has elevated his game to the point where heading into the UEFA Champions League final in Paris, the discourse around the Senegalese was that he is in serious Ballon d’Or contention. 

Domestically Mane finished the season with 16 league goals and four assists, coming up big in huge moments, such as netting the winner in a crucial trip to Aston Villa in the run-in.

Both Sadio Mane (left) and Mohamed Salah (right) have enjoyed spectacular seasons

Liverpool’s third nomination on the six-man shortlist is towering centre back Virgil van Dijk

For Van Dijk, the impact he has had on Liverpool since arriving from Southampton continues to grow and he has firmly established himself as one of the most respected centre backs in the game today. 

Rounding out the six-man shortlist is Tottenham striker and England captain Harry Kane. 

Not since Gareth Bale in 2012-13 has a Tottenham player won the PFA gong but Kane finds himself to have pipped team-mate Son – who was joint-top scorer with Salah. 

Kane had a slow and sluggish start to the season, pinned on his failure to secure a move away. But he has looked energised and refreshed under Antonio Conte and he helped play a key role in securing a return of Champions League football with a top four finish. 

If Kane was to win it, he would be the first Englishman since Wayne Rooney in 2010 to scoop the award. 

Joint-top league scorer Son Heung-min (right) was one of the surprise absentees on the list

As with any list of this nature, it runs the risk of leaving top performers out.

Among the most aggrieved will likely be Declan Rice, who has had a fabulous season for West Ham, Trent Alexander-Arnold, who finish the campaign with 12 league assists, Bernardo Silva and Son. 

Rice has really elevated his level once again this season and it is no surprise to see Big Six sides circling. 

Alexander-Arnold came second in the overall assists table for the 2021-22 season, second only to team-mate Salah, who had 13 in total.  


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