| Sport | Association football |
|---|---|
| Country | India |
| Presented by | All India Football Federation |
| History | |
| First award | Men's (M): 1992 Women's (W): 2001 |
| First winner | M: I. M. Vijayan W: Bembem Devi |
| Most wins | M: Sunil Chhetri (7 awards) W: Bala Devi (3 awards) |
| Most recent | M: Lallianzuala Chhangte (2023–24) W: Indumathi Kathiresan (2023–24) |
| Website | www |
The AIFF Player of the Year Awards are the annual football awards presented to the best footballers in India by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). The AIFF first announced the award for Men's Player of the Year in 1992; I. M. Vijayan was the inaugural winner. Sunil Chhetri has won the award a record seven times. No winner was announced in 1998 and 1999. It was re-introduced in 2000.
The AIFF Women's Player of the Year Award was introduced in 2001. Bembem Devi was its first recipient. No winner was given out from 2002 up to 2012. In 2013, the award was re-introduced and Bembem Devi won it for the second time. Other than Bembem Devi, Bala Devi has also won the award thrice, in 2014, 2015 and 2020−21; Manisha Kalyan won the award twice consecutively for 2021−22 and 2021−23. She also won the 2020−21 Women's Emerging Player of the Year Award. Along with the men's and women's awards, the AIFF Emerging Player of the Year Award for men was introduced in 2013, and a similar award for women was introduced in 2015.
Until 2016, the men's awards were selected on the basis of voting by the coaches of the I-League clubs. Since 2017, coaches of both the I-League and the Indian Super League have voted to select the winner. The women's awards are selected by the head coach of the women's national team in consultation with the AIFF Technical Director.
Men's Player of the Year
I. M. Vijayan was the first player to receive the award in 1992. He was also the first player to win it consecutively in 1997 and 2000 (there was no award in 1998 and 1999). He has won the award three times. Sunil Chhetri has received the award a record seven times: in 2007, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018−19 and most recently, 2021−22. Jo Paul Ancheri, Bhaichung Bhutia and Lallianzuala Chhangte are the other players who have won this award more than once.
Women's Player of the Year
Bembem Devi was the first recipient of the award in 2001. It was not awarded again until 2013, when Bembem Devi retained it. Bala Devi has won the award a record three times: in 2014, 2015 and 2020−21. Manisha Kalyan won the award consecutively for 2020−21 and 2022−23.
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Emerging Player of the Year
| Year | Player | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | Women | ||
| 2013 | Jeje Lalpekhlua | Not awarded | |
| 2014 | Sandesh Jhingan | ||
| 2015 | Pritam Kotal | Pyari Xaxa | |
| 2016 | Rowllin Borges | Sanju Yadav | |
| 2017 | Anirudh Thapa | Panthoi Chanu | |
| 2018−19 | Sahal Abdul Samad | Dangmei Grace | |
| 2019−20 | Anirudh Thapa | Ratanbala Devi | |
| 2020−21 | Suresh Singh Wangjam | Manisha Kalyan | |
| 2021−22 | Vikram Pratap Singh | Martina Thokchom | |
| 2022–23 | Akash Mishra | Shilji Shaji | |
| 2023–24 | David Lalhlansanga | Neha | |
See also
References
- ^ "Jeje Lalpekhlua is 2016 AIFF Player of the Year". the-aiff.com. Archived from the original on 27 December 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
- "AIFF announce Sunil Chhetri as the Player of the Year". indiansuperleague.com. Archived from the original on 9 July 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ "Sunil Chhetri wins 2017 AIFF Player of the Year award". The Times of India. Press Trust of India (PTI). 22 July 2018. Archived from the original on 4 November 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
- ^ "Sunil Chhetri is 2013 AIFF Player of the Year". the-aiff.com. 20 December 2013. Archived from the original on 28 December 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
- ^ Solomon, Joseph (8 March 2015). "19 years and counting – The legend of Oinam Bembem Devi". the-aiff.com. Archived from the original on 4 December 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- "Women's football: Mary Kom an inspiration for Bala Devi". Sportstar. The Hindu. 2 February 2020. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
- ^ Chetiar, Ronald (4 July 2023). "Lallianzuala Chhangte wins AIFF Men's Footballer of the Year award for 2022-23". olympics.com. Archived from the original on 7 July 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- ^ "Eugenson Lyngdoh voted '2015 AIFF Player of the Year'". the-aiff.com. 20 December 2015. Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
- ^ "All India Football Federation Awards: Sunil Chhetri and Bala Devi win Player of the Year Trophy". India Today. 14 February 2015. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- ^ "Eugeneson Lyngdoh, Bala Devi get top All India Football Federation awards". India Today. Press Trust of India (PTI). 21 December 2020. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- ^ "Sunil Chhetri and Ashalata Devi bag top honours at AIFF Awards". Sportstar. The Hindu. 9 July 2019. Archived from the original on 5 May 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- ^ "Gurpreet and Sanju declared winners of AIFF Player of the Year Awards". the-aiff.com. 25 September 2020. Archived from the original on 25 September 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
- "I draw inspiration from MC Mary Kom, say Sunil Chhetri". the-aiff.com. 11 July 2019. Archived from the original on 5 May 2020. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
- Alvares, Rohan (9 June 2017). "AIFF Awards: Jeje Lalpekhlua named best Indian player". The Times of India. Times Now Network (TNN). Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- "Chhetri wins 2017 AIFF player of the year award". Business Standard. Press Trust of India (PTI). 22 July 2018. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
- ^ Sharma, Nitin (26 September 2020). "Chandigarh lad Sandhu adjudged men's football player of the year by AIFF". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
- "Sandesh named AIFF Men's Footballer of the Year, Suresh wins Emerging Player award". the-aiff.com. 21 July 2021. Archived from the original on 10 March 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ "Manisha, Sunil named 2021-22 AIFF Footballers of the Year". the-aiff.com. 9 August 2022. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
- ^ "President Kalyan Chaubey chairs AIFF AGM in Bengaluru". the-aiff.com. 4 July 2023. Archived from the original on 4 July 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
- ^ "Lallianzuala Chhangte, Indumathi Kathiresan bag Player of the Year honours at AIFF awards ceremony". The Times of India. 19 July 2024. Archived from the original on 20 July 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
- ^ Pathak, Manashi (25 January 2020). "Bembem Devi: Grateful that my contribution to women's football is recognised". Sportstar. The Hindu. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
- ^ "Sunil Chhetri voted 2014 AIFF Player of the Year". the-aiff.com. 27 December 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
- ^ "Bala Devi, Manisha Kalyan named winners of annual AIFF Awards". the-aiff.com. 20 July 2021. Archived from the original on 20 July 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
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