Gareth Bale wins PFA Player and Young Player of the Year awards

Gareth Bale has been announced as the winner of the Professional Football Association’s Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year.

The 23-year-old Tottenham star, who was fighting for the award alongside Robin Van Persie and Luis Suarez, becomes only the third player to win both awards in the same season. Cristiano Ronaldo was the last footballer who won both the prizes in 2007, and the other one was Andy Gray who won both the awards in 1977.

“It’s a massive honour,” said Bale. “To be voted by your peers is one of the biggest things in the game.”

In the young player of the year category, Bale beat Chelsea‘s Hazard, Aston Villa’s Christian Benteke, West Brom’s Romelu Lukaku, Arsenal‘s Jack Wilshere and Manchester United‘s Danny Welbeck.

“It’s great to win it and I am delighted,” he added.

“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.”

Bale, who was named Player of the Year in 2010-11, has been the driving force of Tottenham Hotspur this season as he scored 19 Premier League goals, 24 goals in all competitions and he has 4 assists to his name.

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

Source: BBC