Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson has been named the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the year.
The captain who also led Liverpool to their first league title in 30 years won the award ahead of Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne and Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford who finished second and third respectively.
Henderson led Liverpool’s title celebration on Wednesday as they lifted the Premier League trophy for the first time, posing an 18 point lead over Pep Guardiola’s team.
To lift the Premier League Trophy on the night we achieved 96 points shows that some things are just meant to be. Never forgotten. YNWA ❤️ pic.twitter.com/lyPB3L5G9u
— Jordan Henderson (@JHenderson) July 23, 2020
In addition to his impact on the field, the Reds’ skipper was also the head of the #playerstogether initiative during the coronavirus lockdown which saw players team up with NHS Charities Together to raise money for the NHS.
He said: “I’d like to say how appreciative I am of the support of those who voted for me and the Football Writers’ Association in general.
“You only have to look at the past winners of it, a number of whom I’ve been blessed to play with here at Liverpool, like Stevie (Steven Gerrard), Luis (Suarez) and Mo (Mohamed Salah) to know how prestigious it is.
“But as grateful as I am I don’t feel like I can accept this on my own. I don’t feel like anything I’ve achieved this season or in fact during my whole career has been done on my own.
“I owe a lot to so many different people – but none more so than my current team-mates – who have just been incredible and deserve this every bit as much as I do.
❤️ #YNWA 🏆 pic.twitter.com/Cqtu5tZDk8
— Jordan Henderson (@JHenderson) July 23, 2020
“We’ve only achieved what we’ve achieved because every single member of our squad has been brilliant and not just in matches. Not just in producing the moments that make the headlines and the back pages but every day in training.
“The players who’ve started the most games for us this season have been as good as they have been because of our culture and our environment at Melwood. No one individual is responsible for that – it’s a collective effort and that’s how I view accepting this honour.
“I accept it on behalf of this whole squad, because without them I’m not in a position to be receiving this honour. These lads have made me a better player – a better leader and a better person.
“If anything I hope those who voted for me did so partly to recognise the entire team’s contribution.
“Individual awards are nice and they are special and I will cherish this one. But an individual award without the collective achievement wouldn’t mean anywhere as much to me – if anything at all.”
Other players who made the top five aside Henderson, De Bruyne and Rashford were Liverpool’s Virgil Van Dijk and Sadio Mane.
