N’Golo Kanté has been named PFA Player of the Year 2017. He is the first French player to win the PFA Player of the Year since Thierry Henry in 2004. The France international has had an impressive first season at the Stamford Bridge following his transfer from Leicester last summer. He saw off competition from Eden Hazard, Harry Kane, Romelu Lukaku, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alexis Sanchez.
He was presented with the award at the Grosvenor Hotel in London while Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli won the Young Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.
“It means the world to be chosen by the players to be Player of the Year. So proud for such a honour! So amazing. As I always said, it’s a team work: Thanks to my teammates, Chelsea FC members and all the fans.” he said.
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Riyad Mahrez becomes the first African footballer to be named English football Player Of The Year
Algerian footballer, Riyad Mahrez made history last night as he became the first African player to be named English football’s Player of the Year. The winger who joined Leicester City on a £400,000 deal has scored 17 goals and provided 11 assists this season.
The 25-year-old beat colleagues, Jamie Vardy and N’Golo Kante as well as West Ham United’s Dimitri Payet, Tottenham’s Harry Kane and Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil to the award.
He paid tributes to his teammates and manager while receiving the trophy.
“All the credit is for them, seriously.
“And for my manager (Claudio Ranieri) and the staff. Without them I wouldn’t receive this award and I wouldn’t score. It’s the team spirit, and I want to dedicate it to them.
“I’m very grateful to receive this award, it’s a pleasure. It’s extra special because if the players vote for me it’s because they’ve seen I’ve been great this year so I’m happy. But it’s more team things. Without my team-mates I wouldn’t get this award.” He said.
Cristiano Ronaldo hits back at Wayne Rooney, "One player is not a team."
Don’t get it wrong. This has nothing to do with Portugal’s defeat yesterday. It all started during an interview with Manchester United star, Wayne Rooney on his preparations for the World Cup. He stated that unlike his former team mate Cristiano Ronaldo, he’s not driven by personal glory, rather he is after team success.
”I’m not a player who needs a legacy like Cristiano, he has to have that. I’m more about winning as a team. You can see how he is. He wants his moments. It’s more important for me to win trophies as a team. I’ve won PFA Player of the Year, which is nowhere near as good as winning a trophy with Manchester United. I’ve not won anything this year, so hopefully I can do that now.”
Responding to his comments, the Portugal player said he’s has nothing to show anyone. “Look at my statistics and my CV – I have nothing to prove. My career has been great so far and I just want that to continue. But I believe that one player is not a team. I am here to help the team. I am an additional player and I can make a difference, but I can’t carry the team on my back.” He added.