Soccer

Tottenham’s Gareth Bale completes clean sweep of PFA Awards

Welsh winger wins both Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year

Tottenham’s Gareth Bale with the PFA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards. Photograph: PA
Tottenham’s Gareth Bale with the PFA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards. Photograph: PA
Mon Apr 29 2013 - 00:09

Tottenham's Gareth Bale has rounded off a remarkable season by becoming the first player since Cristiano Ronaldo to do the double at the PFA Player of the Year awards.

Bale beat off competition from Luis Suarez, Robin van Persie, Juan Mata, Eden Hazard and Michael Carrick to win the senior gong for the 2012-13 season. The Welshman also took home the Young Player of the Year award, making him only the third player in history to receive both prizes in the same season.

“It’s a massive honour,” the Welshman said. “To be voted by your peers is one of the biggest things in the game. It’s great to win it and I am delighted.”

Ronaldo scooped both the young player and the main award in 2007, some 30 years after Andy Gray become the first professional to do so.

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Bale won the senior award two seasons ago when he shot to fame with a series of scintillating displays domestically and in the Champions League.

But he has gone on to become an even better player since, transforming himself in to a goal-scoring machine that has found the net 29 times for club and country this season.

The Welshman, whose latest goal came on Saturday in Tottenham’s 2-2 draw at Wigan, dedicated the prize to his team-mates and manager Andre Villas-Boas.

“When you look at the list there are some massive names on it and the other nominees have been unbelievable this year, but I couldn’t have done it without the team,” Bale said.

“They have been fantastic this year and so has the manager. I couldn’t have won it without them so I would like to give them all a big thank you as well.”

The PFA Premier League team of the year was also named, and featured four players from champions Manchester United.

Premier League Team of the Year: David De Gea (Manchester United), Pablo Zabaleta (Manchester City), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Leighton Baines (Everton), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Juan Mata (Chelsea), Gareth Bale (Tottenham), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Luis Suarez (Liverpool), Robin van Persie (Manchester United).