Gareth Bale wins PFA award double
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E-mail Shanghai Daily, April 30, 2013
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Tottenham Hotspur and Wales star Gareth Bale has won the PFA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards. |
Tottenham Hotspur's jet-heeled midfielder Gareth Bale was on Sunday honored by his fellow players, winning the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year at a London ceremony.
The former Southampton prodigy becomes only the third player to win both awards in the same season and the fifth to claim the main prize twice.
The Welshman joins Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry, Alan Shearer and Mark Hughes in earning the main award twice. Ronaldo in 2007 and Andy Gray in 1977 won both awards in the same year.
"It's a massive honor," said the 23-year-old. "To be voted by your peers is one of the biggest things in the game.
"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.
"They have been fantastic this year and so has the manager (Andre Villas-Boas).
"I couldn't have won it without them, so I would like to give them all a big thank you as well."
PFA Chairman Gordon Taylor said: "Gareth has had a tremendous season. He has had the same impact on Welsh football as Ryan Giggs did."
Bale, who has scored 19 English Premier League goals this season, faced stiff competition from Liverpool's Luis Suarez and Manchester United's Robin van Persie.
Suarez is currently serving a 10-match ban after biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic last week, but managed to make the team of the year.
The team also included Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea and midfielder Michael Carrick along with Chelsea's Eden Hazard and Juan Mata.
The Championship (second division) team of the year included two blasts from the past with Schmeichel and Ince named.
However, they were Leicester City's Kasper Schmeichel, son of former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter and his old teammate Paul Ince's son Tom (Blackpool).
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