* Paul Williams – Australian Rules Footballer who played 306 games for Collingwood & Sydney, current caretaker coach of the Western Bulldogs

* Brendon Gale – former Australian Rules Footballer and is the current CEO of the Richmond Football Club

* Nick Riewoldt – Australian Rules Footballer, current captain of the St. Kilda Football Club

* Per Mertesacker, Footballer for Arsenal F. C.

The club reached both domestic cup finals in the 1992 – 93 season ( losing both to Arsenal – Waddle scored Wednesday's goal in the FA Cup final replay ) and Waddle was voted the Football Writers ' Association Footballer of the Year in 1993.

He led the Premier League assist charts and was voted both FWA Footballer of the Year and Arsenal's player of the season, as Arsenal won the league title.

* Jason Banton, Arsenal FC Footballer.

A member of the England team who won the World Cup and Ballon d ' Or for European Footballer of the Year in 1966, he played almost all of his club football at Manchester United, where he became renowned for his attacking instincts and passing abilities from midfield and his ferocious long-range shot.

Banks played his 73rd England game in a 1 – 0 win over Scotland at Hampden Park on 27 May 1972 and was awarded the Football Writers ' Association Footballer Of The Year honour.

* Eniola Aluko ( Law ), England Ladies Footballer

* Alex Curran-Gerrard-wife of Liverpool and England Footballer Steven Gerrard, lived most of her life in Maghull and attended Maghull High School.

Strachan was voted FWA Footballer of the Year for his performances during the campaign – becoming the first man to win the award both in Scotland and in England.

Revie won six caps for England, was Football Writers ' Association Footballer of the Year in 1955 and won an FA Cup winners medal with Manchester City in 1956.

In his book, How Not to be a Professional Footballer, Merson refers to an incident in Chicago while on duty with England during the US Cup.

In 1949 he was voted the Football Writers ' Association Footballer of the Year and in the same year captained the FAI XI that defeated England 2 – 0 at Goodison Park, becoming the first non-UK team to beat England at home.

He was voted Football Writers ' Association Footballer of the Year for 2004 / 2005, and is currently first choice central midfielder for Chelsea and England.

The Football Writers ' Association Footballer of the Year ( often called the FWA Footballer of the Year, or in England simply the Footballer of the Year ) is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in English football.

Often regarded as one of the greatest players of the English game, he is the only player to have been knighted while still playing, as well as being the first winner of both the European Footballer of the Year and the Football Writers ' Association Footballer of the Year awards.

Macclesfield Town lost 4 – 2, but the performance resulted in Macclesfield Town's Keith Goalen becoming the first ever non-league player to be named Footballer of the Month by the London Evening Standard.

Probably it's most notable home-bred footballers are definitely Dragan Džajić ( retired ), officially the best player in the history of Serbia ( the choice of the Football Association on the 50th anniversary of UEFA, known as the Golden Player ), who achieved the 3rd place at the election for the European Footballer of the Year in 1968, and is part, next to players like Zidane, Van Basten and Beckenbauer, of " the greatest European Championship XI of all time ", elected by Goal. com.

Jean-Pierre Papin ( born 5 November 1963 in Boulogne-sur-Mer ) is a former French professional football player who was European Footballer of the Year in 1991.

He also won the PFA Fans ' Player of the Year and the FWA Footballer of the Year, becoming the first player to win all four main PFA and FWA awards.

* Masami Ihara ( 1967-), Most capped ( 122 ) player and Asian Footballer of the Year in 1995.

Every year the FWA presents the Footballer of the Year award to the best player of the year, and the Tribute Award award to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the game.

Tom Finney was Footballer of the Year in 1953 – 54, the year of his only appearance in the FA Cup Final ( losing 2 – 3 to West Bromwich Albion ), and again in 1956 – 57, becoming the first player to win this award more than once.

Stam was a key player for PSV in the 1996 – 97 season, as the team won the Eredivisie Championship and the Johan Cruijff-schaal ; Stam won the VVCS Footballer of the Year award.

After his first season with the Bavarian club, the player was also named Footballer of the Year in Germany.

Vejle Boldklub has trained many talented football players, among others one of Danish football history's few international stars: Allan Simonsen, who in 1977 became the first Danish player to win the European Footballer of the Year award.

Subsequently, he was voted the best player in the French first division, and was also awarded the ' Oscar of football ' by fellow players and coaches, and was named one of the 50 players shortlisted for the 2002 European Footballer of the Year award ( Ballon d ' Or ), with only another player from the French League in the list.

Josef Masopust, key player of Dukla's midfield, was elected European Footballer of the Year in 1962, when Czechoslovakia finished runner-up in the World Cup.

He is the only Scottish player in history to have won the prestigious European Footballer of the Year award, doing so in 1964, and helped his club win the First Division in 1965 and 1967.

On 7 May 2010 it was announced Weir had also won the Scottish Football Writers ' Association Footballer of the Year Award, the oldest player ever to receive this accolade-just three days before his 40th birthday.

The table also indicates where the winning player also won one or more of the other major " player of the year " awards in English football, namely the Football Writers ' Association's Footballer of the Year award ( FWA ), the PFA Fans ' Player of the Year award ( FPY ), and the PFA Young Player of the Year award ( YPY ).

The table also indicates where the winning player also won one or more of the other major " player of the year " awards in English football, namely the PFA Players ' Player of the Year award ( PPY ), the Football Writers ' Association's Footballer of the Year award ( FWA ), and the PFA Fans ' Player of the Year award ( FPY ).

He was named the 2004 Tiger Cup MVP, and was nominated for the 2006 Asian Footballer of the Year award, making him the only ASEAN player and only goalkeeper nominated in the history of the award.

Lewis was nominated for the prestigious 2006 Asian Footballer of the Year award, making him the only ASEAN player and only goalkeeper among the nominees and the first Singapore nominee in the award's history.

* Rodney Eade – Australian Rules Footballer who played 259 games for Hawthorn and the Bears, was head coach of the Western Bulldogs until Round 21, 2011

In his second season Dalglish recorded a personal best of 21 league goals for the club, and he was also named Football Writers ' Association Footballer of the Year.

Bergkamp was the top scorer in the Eredivisie from 1991 to 1993, and was voted Dutch Footballer of the Year in 1992 and 1993.

Known for his strength on the ball, his tactical awareness and spectacular strikes and volleys, Van Basten was named European Footballer of the Year three times ( 1988, ' 89 and ' 92 ) and FIFA World Player of the Year in 1992.

Such were Bonetti's performances that season, he was voted runner-up in the FWA Footballer of the Year awards.

He was named the European Footballer of the Year in 1987 and the World Soccer Player of the Year in 1987 and 1989.

Gullit was named Dutch Footballer of the Year in recognition of his contribution to Feyenoord's success.

Gullit was again named Footballer of the Year in 1986 as he helped PSV capture the Eredivisie crown, a feat they repeated the following year.

" However, his adjustment was rapid and he ended the season by being named runner-up to Eric Cantona as Footballer of the Year.

* Brad Moran, grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon then moved to Australia when he was 15, he is now an Australian Rules Footballer with the Adelaide Crows.

In 2001, Zidane was named Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year for the second time.

* Footballer Joe Wiggins ( 1909 – 1982 ) was born in Alperton

* Footballer Steve Perryman, remembered for his successes with Tottenham Hotspur ( and locally for his sports outlets ), was born in Ealing and grew up in Northolt

Footballer Arjen Robben was born in Bedum ( 23 January 1984 ).

Footballer Mark van Bommel was born in Maasbracht.

At the end of the campaign Matthews was made the inaugural winner of the European Footballer of the Year award, having narrowly defeated Alfredo Di Stéfano 47 to 44 in the poll.

Stoke went up as Second Division champions, and Matthews was voted FWA Footballer of the Year for the second time in his career, fifteen years after he was made the inaugural winner of the award.

* Chris Bart-Williams, Footballer lived in Ashby when he was playing for Nottingham Forest

However, he ended the season as the Footballer Of The Year and his future after football as an after-dinner speaker was marked by his speech at the awards ceremony, which earned him a standing ovation.

He became the first English winner of the European Footballer of the Year award since Kevin Keegan was given the honour in 1979.