(Luis Suárez celebrates scoring for Liverpool against rivals Everton – Peter Byrne/PA Images)

English football has been graced by South American greats such as Ardiles, Villa, Agüero, Juninho, Tevez and Coutinho, yet only one has ever been named FWA Footballer of the Year: Luis Suárez.

Suárez has long been a controversial character with three bans for biting during his career alongside a suspension for racially abusing Patrice Evra, an accusation he denies.

(Luis Suárez celebrating a victory for Liverpool over Arsenal in 2011 – Nick Potts/PA Images)

There is an argument to be made that Suárez’s behaviour has not lived up to the standards Charles Buchan first set for the award to be presented “to the professional player who by precept and example is considered by a ballot of members to be the footballer of the year.”

However, his skill on a football pitch cannot be denied and it was this that was rewarded with the FWA Footballer of the Year award for 2014.

Suárez scored 31 goals in 33 league games finishing the season as the top scorer and became the first non-European winner of the FWA award. He was also voted by his fellow professionals the PFA Player of the Year.

(Luis Suárez celebrates during the 2013-14 season – Owen Humphreys/PA Images)

Despite his personal success Suárez was unable to lead Liverpool to a trophy that season as the Reds fell agonisingly short of a first League title in 24 years, finishing 2 points behind Manchester City.

Suárez’s career began in his native Uruguay making his first team debut for Nacional aged 18, after only one season the teenage Suárez was transferred to Gronigen in the Netherlands.

Suárez spent just one year at Gronigen before signing for Duth giants Ajax where he excelled over the following three and a half seasons winning the Eredivisie title and the KNVB Cup.

There had been disciplinary issues throughout Suárez’s career but Liverpool looked past these and in return they got the services of a phenomenal striker.

(Luis Suárez was in fine form throughout the 2013-14 season – Owen Humphreys/PA Images)

At the end of his first full season in England Suárez had helped Liverpool to the League Cup. It was the only trophy he won in England but that does not take away from the impact he had at the club.

Suárez was pipped to the 2013 FWA trophy by Gareth Bale but by 2014 he received over 50% of all votes as he scooped up the award.

This turned out to be one of his final acts in England as just a few weeks later Suárez moved to Barcelona for £65million, at the time the third highest transfer fee in football history.

A controversial character no doubt, but also a wonderfully gifted goalscorer.

(Luis Suárez celebrating a goal versus Crystal Palace in 2014 – Adam Davy/PAImages)

What Luis said:

“It is amazing for me and the club as well, for many years, there have been a lot of big players who have won this prize.

“Thank you so much to all the Football Writers who voted for me because they recognised my work on the pitch, and they know that I try my best to help Liverpool.

“I know that it was a difficult time for me one or two years ago, but I accept that criticism, but then if you concentrate and focus to help the team, everything can be perfect.

“I am an easy guy outside the pitch, and on the pitch I know I changed, but because I love the football, I have fought so hard to stay at this level.”

What the Writers said:

(Jordan Henderson with the 2020 Footballer of the Year trophy – Dave Thompson/PA Images)

Henderson joined his local club Sunderland aged eight and progressed through the youth ranks until he made his first team debut ten years later in 2008.

The 2009-10 season was Henderson’s breakout year, establishing himself in the heart of Sunderland’s midfield and receiving his first international call up for England. Henderson became a regular international squad player under Roy Hodgson and by the time of the 2014 World Cup was a nailed-on starter.

(Jordan Henderson celebrates scoring for Liverpool against Tottenham at White Hart Lane – Stephen Pond/PA Images)

After three seasons with Sunderland, Henderson was transferred to Liverpool with whom he won his first major honour in 2012, the League Cup. Despite featuring in the majority of Liverpool’s matches that season Henderson was told he was free to leave the club with Fulham keen to sign the player. He decided to stay at Anfield and fight for his place in the side, how grateful Liverpool must be for that now.

Henderson made a mockery of those at the club who wanted to sell him, becoming a key player in the side and the natural successor to legendary captain Steven Gerrard in 2015.

(Jordan Henderson wheels off in celebration in 2019 after giving Liverpool the lead against Spurs – Peter Byrne/PA Images)

Under Henderson’s leadership and Jürgen Klopp’s management the two have led Liverpool to European, World and domestic success. In a little over 12 months Liverpool have defeated Tottenham Hotspur in the 2019 Champions League final, gone on to win the UEFA Super Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup and ended the Reds 30 year wait for a League championship.

(Jordan Henderson celebrates with the trophy after winning the UEFA Champions League in 2019 – Martin Rickett/PA Images)

Henderson’s leadership has been vital throughout this success, joining fabled captains Hughes, Thompson, Souness and Gerrard as a club legend and European Cup winning skipper.

Henderson was the first Liverpool captain since Alan Hansen in 1990 to lift the League title and did so in extraordinary circumstances during the Coronavirus pandemic.

The pandemic also shined a light on another side of Henderson that previously the public had not seen, this was his charitable work.

Henderson was vital in rallying fellow club captains and establishing the #PlayersTogether collective that raised millions of pounds for the NHS and led the way in the Black Lives Matter campaign in football.

(Jordan Henderson lifts the 2019-20 Premier League trophy at Anfield – Phil Noble/PA Images)

The original voting criteria stated that the award would go “to the professional player who by precept and example is considered by a ballot of members to be the footballer of the year.“

Henderson most certainly lived up to this.

What Jordan 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 (Gerrard), Luis (Suárez) and Mo (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 teammates – who have just been incredible and deserve this every bit as much as I do.”

What the writers said: