View source for PFA Merit Award

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2012}}
{{Featured list}}
{{multiple image
| footer = [[Steven Gerrard]] of [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] and [[Frank Lampard]] of [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]] were joint winners in 2015
| image1 = Steven Gerrard, 2014.jpg
| alt1 = Gerrard playing for [[Liverpool F.C.]] in 2014
| width1 = 200
| image2 = Frank Lampard'13-14.JPG
| alt2 = Lampard playing for [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]] in 2014
| width2 = 161
}}
The '''Professional Footballers' Association Merit Award''' (often called the '''PFA Merit Award''', or simply the '''Merit Award''') is an award given by the [[Professional Footballers' Association]] (the PFA) for meritorious service to football.<ref>[http://www.givemefootball.com/rolls_of_honour/meritroll.html PFA Merit Award 1974-2007]</ref>

The award was first given in [[1973–74 in English football|1974]], and was won (jointly) by [[Bobby Charlton]] and [[Cliff Lloyd]]. The latest winner of the award is [[Ryan Giggs]].

==List of winners==
===1970s===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Year!!Winner(s)!! width="350px" |Note
|-
| width="50px" rowspan="2"| [[1973–74 in English football|1974]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Knight Bachelor|Sir]] [[Bobby Charlton]] [[Order of the British Empire|CBE]], [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]] || rowspan="2"| <small>'''First winners of the award'''</small>
|-
|{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Cliff Lloyd]]
|-
| width="50px"| [[1974–75 in English football|1975]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Denis Law]] || <small>'''First winner of the award from outside [[England]]'''</small>
|-
| width="50px"| [[1975–76 in English football|1976]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[George Eastham]] [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]]
|-
| width="50px"| [[1976–77 in English football|1977]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Jack Taylor (footballer, born 1872)|Jack Taylor]] [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]]
|-
| width="50px"| [[1977–78 in English football|1978]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Bill Shankly]] [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]]
|-
| width="50px"| [[1978–79 in English football|1979]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Knight Bachelor|Sir]] [[Tom Finney]] [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]]
|}

===1980s===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Year!!Winner(s)!! width="350px" |Notes
|-
| width="50px"| [[1979–80 in English football|1980]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Knight Bachelor|Sir]] [[Matt Busby]] [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]]
|-
| width="50px"| [[1980–81 in English football|1981]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[John Trollope (footballer)|John Trollope]] [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]]
|-
| width="50px"| [[1981–82 in English football|1982]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Joe Mercer]] [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]]
|-
| width="50px"| [[1982–83 in English football|1983]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Bob Paisley]] [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]]
|-
| width="50px"| [[1983–84 in English football|1984]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Bill Nicholson (footballer)|Bill Nicholson]] [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]]
|-
| width="50px"| [[1984–85 in English football|1985]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Ron Greenwood]] [[Order of the British Empire|CBE]]
|-
| width="50px"| [[1985–86 in English football|1986]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[England national football team|England]] [[FIFA World Cup|World Cup]] [[1966 FIFA World Cup squads#England|squad]] [[1966 FIFA World Cup|1966]]
|-
| width="50px"| [[1986–87 in English football|1987]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Knight Bachelor|Sir]] [[Stanley Matthews]] [[Order of the British Empire|CBE]]
|-
| width="50px"| [[1987–88 in English football|1988]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Billy Bonds]] [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]]
|-
| width="50px"| [[1988–89 in English football|1989]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Nat Lofthouse]] [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]]
|}

===1990s===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Year!!Winner(s)!! width="350px" |Notes
|-
| width="50px"| [[1989–90 in English football|1990]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Peter Shilton]] [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]], [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]]
|-
| width="50px"| [[1990–91 in English football|1991]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Tommy Hutchison]]
|-
| width="50px"| [[1991–92 in English football|1992]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Brian Clough]] [[OBE]]
|-
| width="50px" rowspan="2"| [[1992–93 in English football|1993]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] [[UEFA Champions League|European Cup]] squad [[1967–68 European Cup|1968]]
|-
|{{flagicon|POR}} [[Eusébio]] || <small>'''First winner of the award from outside [[Great Britain]]'''<br />'''First winner of the award from outside the [[United Kingdom]]'''<br />
|-
| width="50px"| [[1993–94 in English football|1994]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|NIR}} [[Billy Bingham]] [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]]
|-
| width="50px"| [[1994–95 in English football|1995]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Gordon Strachan]] [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]]
|-
| width="50px"| [[1995–96 in English football|1996]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|BRA}} [[Pelé]]  || <small>'''First winner of the award from outside [[Europe]]'''</small>
|-
| width="50px"| [[1996–97 in English football|1997]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Peter Beardsley]] [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]]
|-
| width="50px"| [[1997–98 in English football|1998]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Steve Ogrizovic]]
|-
| width="50px"| [[1998–99 in English football|1999]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Tony Ford (footballer, born 1959)|Tony Ford]] [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]]
|}

===2000s===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Year!!Winner(s)!! width="350px" |Notes
|-
| width="50px"| [[1999–2000 in English football|2000]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Gary Mabbutt]] [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]]
|-
| width="50px"| [[2000–01 in English football|2001]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Jimmy Hill]] [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]]
|-
| width="50px"| [[2001–02 in English football|2002]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|IRE}} [[Niall Quinn]]
|-
| width="50px"| [[2002–03 in English football|2003]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Knight Bachelor|Sir]] [[Bobby Robson]] [[Order of the British Empire|CBE]]
|-
| width="50px"| [[2003–04 in English football|2004]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|ITA}} [[Dario Gradi]] [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]]
|-
| width="50px"| [[2004–05 in English football|2005]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|TRI}} [[Shaka Hislop]]
|-
| width="50px"| [[2005–06 in English football|2006]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|NIR}} [[George Best]]
|-
| width="50px"| [[2006–07 in English football|2007]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Knight Bachelor|Sir]] [[Alex Ferguson]] [[Order of the British Empire|CBE]]
|-
| width="50px"| [[2007–08 in English football|2008]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Jimmy Armfield]] [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]]
|-
| width="50px"| [[2008–09 in English football|2009]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[John McDermott (English footballer)|John McDermott]]
|}

===2010s===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Year!!Winner(s)!! width="350px" |Notes
|-
| width="50px"| [[2009–10 in English football|2010]] || width="315px" | {{flagicon|SAF}} [[Lucas Radebe]]
|-
| width="50px"|  [[2010–11 in English football|2011]] || width"315px"  | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Howard Webb]]
|-
| width="50px"|  [[2011–12 in English football|2012]] || width"315px"  | {{flagicon|SCO}} [[Graham Alexander]]
|-
| width="50px"|  [[2012–13 in English football|2013]] || width"315px"  | [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] [[Fergie's Fledglings#The 1990s Fledglings|Class of '92]]
|-
| width="50px"|  [[2013–14 in English football|2014]] || width"315px"  | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Donald Simpson Bell|Donald Bell]] [[Victoria Cross|VC]]
|-
| width="50px" rowspan=2|  [[2014–15 in English football|2015]] || width"315px"  | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Steven Gerrard]] [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]] <ref name="PFA merit 2015">{{cite web |title=Gerrard & Lampard share PFA Merit Award |url=http://www.goal.com/en/news/9/england/2015/04/26/11170022/gerrard-lampard-share-pfa-merit-award?ICID=AR_RS_1|publisher=Goal.com |date=26 April 2015 |accessdate=26 April 2015}}</ref> 
|- 
| {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Frank Lampard]] [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]] <ref name="PFA merit 2015" />
|- 
| width="50px"|  [[2015–16 in English football|2016]] || width"315px"  | {{flagicon|WAL}} [[Ryan Giggs]] [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]] <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thepfa.com/news/2016/4/24/ryan-giggs-wins-pfa-merit-award|title=Ryan Giggs wins PFA Merit award|last=Sports|first=PA|website=www.thepfa.com|access-date=2016-04-25}}</ref>
|}

==Breakdown of winners==
===Winners by country===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Country!!Number of wins
|- bgcolor=#FFF60F
| width="200px"| '''{{fb|England}}''' || width="25px"| '''26'''
|-
| {{fb|Scotland}} || 8
|-
| {{fb|Northern Ireland}} || 2
|-
| {{fb|Trinidad and Tobago}} || rowspan="7" | 1
|-
| {{fb|Italy}}
|-
| {{fb|Republic of Ireland}}
|-
| {{fb|Brazil}}
|-
| {{fb|Portugal}}
|-
| {{fb|South Africa}}
|-
| {{fb|Wales}}
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.thepfa.com/ The Official Website of the Professional Footballer's Association]

{{English football awards}}

[[Category:English football trophies and awards]]
[[Category:Awards established in 1974]]