Forget brilliant Bale and red-hot Robin, there's only one man I'd vote to be Player of the Year... Liverpool's very own Mr Incredible, Luis Suarez
By JAMIE REDKNAPP
Surely only one thing can stop Luis Suarez from being voted as the Players’ Player of the Year… his fellow players.
I can think of 11 Spurs footballers who might not vote for him after his antics on Sunday. I don’t think he will be very popular around White Hart Lane.
But I would vote him and not just because I played for Liverpool for 11 years. I don’t think the vote should be in any question. He IS the Footballer of the Year.
- Scroll down to watch Suarez's latest strike in our Liverpool v Tottenham highlights
Star of the show: Luis Suarez celebrates his goal for Liverpool against Tottenham on Sunday
Too good: Liverpool fans go wild after Suarez's strike set them on the way to victory
How does the PFA vote work?
The PFA will send out ballot forms to all members next week asking for one nomination to win the Player of the Year award.
Every professional footballer has a vote, with the only proviso being they cannot put forward a team-mate. They are also asked to submit a Young Player and All-Star Team for their division.
A shortlist of six is then drawn up by an independent adjudicator, with the nominees being made public in the week prior to the ceremony on April 28. The player with the most votes is declared the winner, while those in second and third place are also announced.
It is not to be confused with the Football Writers' Award - when around 400 print and broadcast journalists have a vote. The ceremony tends to take place soon after the PFA award, with Robin van Persie winning both personal accolades within three days last year.
This award is for the player of the season, not for a player of the last two months. That should rule out Gareth Bale, who has been sensational, but only since Spurs drew at Norwich on January 30.
It is a run of 10 goals in 10 games and he has carried his team into the top three, but is that enough?
Robin van Persie has scored only once in the last nine games (it was nine in the previous nine before then) after an explosive start to his time at Manchester United, but he is also playing for the best team in the country, where chances are regularly created.
Suarez has been Liverpool’s Mr Incredible: consistently brilliant, with 29 goals in 39 games.
He is playing with a team still developing and has dragged them through the season.
Can you imagine where Liverpool might be without his goals and his explosive performances?
The improvisation for his goal against Tottenham was typical of the man, catching Hugo Lloris by surprise by taking his shot early, but what I like most about him as how he makes things happen.
Some strikers wait for chances, they wait for the killer ball, but Suarez goes hunting for the ball.
Deadly: Suarez showed brilliant technique to stick the ball past Hugo Lloris
Red hot: Suarez has been outstanding during a difficult season for Liverpool
Top man: Mr Incredible
When Liverpool were trailing 2-1 to Spurs, he was taking the throw-ins and trying to get them going.
When he gets the ball at his feet, he runs at defenders and uses the rebound skill where he bundles the ball past them, like he is playing football in the street, That’s not luck, it is what he does.
He’s not popular everywhere and had a bad time last year, culminating with an eight-game ban for the incident with Patrice Evra.
He’s come back hungrier and stronger and a better player and if this is a vote for the best footballer, it surely has to be him.
He’s like an angry wasp – a player who you want in your team, need in your team, but nobody will enjoy playing against him.
He wants a fight every game, either with the opposition, the referee, rival managers – or even with his own players. I don’t like the way he treats some of his team-mates, throwing around his arms and gesturing dismissively.
He plays on the edge, more so than Manchester City’s Carlos Tevez, who is a similar player, but less prolific and influential. There is more devil in Suarez and he’s not happy unless he’s having a row.
Rivals: Both Gareth Bale and Robin van Persie have been superb for Tottenham and Man Utd respectively
Although completely different, a player who I played against in my era who provoked similar emotions was Eric Cantona.
When you played against him, the man was so arrogant, but also brilliant. The way he wore his collar, the way he floated around the pitch like he owned the arena… I would have loved to have kicked him, if only he wasn’t so strong! But those who played with him adored him.
And Suarez elicits similar emotions from team mates and opponents. I never voted for Cantona and if the current professionals adopt a similar attitude then it might hold back Suarez too. I hope not.
But if he doesn’t win the players award, then surely he must win the journalists’ vote. If we are recognising brilliance, he has to win one of the awards, doesn’t he?
PS... Steven Gerrard said Luis Suarez would be the best player never to win the PFA award were he snubbed by his peers this year, writes Laurie Whitwell. But these three might dispute that...
1989-90 - Peter Beardsley: Produced a series of dazzling displays for Liverpool, scoring and assisting as he went, to propel the team to the title. But David Platt won for Aston Villa, who finished runners up.
1998-99 - David Beckham: He played 55 times and scored some spectacular, vital goals as Manchester United secured a historic Treble but a split in votes between him, Roy Keane and Dwight Yorke allowed David Ginola in to win. The Frenchman had helped Tottenham to 11th.
2005-06 - Frank Lampard: Despite scoring 16 goals in the Premier League from midfield, and providing eight assists, as Chelsea romped to a second consecutive title, he was overlooked in favour of Gerrard.
PPS... No matter his talent, titles, and longevity, Paul Scholes has never won the award either.
Suarez has joined the 50 Club... so, who else is in Liverpool's scoring charts?
1 Ian Rush (346 goals in total)
2 Roger Hunt (286)
3 Gordon Hodgson (241)
4 Billy Liddell (228)
5 Robbie Fowler (183)
6 Kenny Dalglish (172)
7 Steven Gerrard (158)
8 Michael Owen (158)
9 Harry Chambers (151)
10 Sam Raybould (129)
11 Jack Parkinson (129)
12 Dick Forshaw (124)
13 Ian St John (118)
14 Jack Balmer (110)
15 John Barnes (108)
16 Kevin Keegan (100)
17 John Toshack (96)
18 Albert Stubbins (83)
19 Fernando Torres (81)
20 Terry McDermott (81)
21 Jack Cox (81)
22 Berry Nieuwenhuys (79)
23 Jimmy Melia (79)
24 David Johnson (78)
25 Arthur Goddard (77)
26 Steve Heighway (76)
27 Joe Hewitt (74)
28 Ronnie Whelan (73)
29 Ray Kennedy (72)
30 Dirk Kuyt (71)
31 Ian Callaghan (68)
32 Steve McManaman (66)
33 Bobby Robinson (65)
34 John Aldridge (63)
35 Alan A' Court (63)
36 Chris Lawler (61)
37 Jan Molby (61)
38 Emile Heskey (60)
39 Peter Beardsley (59)
40 Phil Neal (59)
41 Willie Fagan (57)
42 George Allan (56)
43 Tom Miller (56)
44 David Fairclough (55)
45 Graeme Souness (55)
46 Peter Thompson (54)
47 John Evans (53)
48 Alf Hanson (52)
49 Harry Bradshaw (51)
50 Luis Suarez (50)
51 Steve McMahon (50)
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