THE SFWA introduced the Player of the Year award in 1965 when it was felt that the most outstanding performer of the season should be honoured.
Since Celtic’s great captain Billy McNeill was the very first recipient, the accolade has been won by many of the greatest and most talented players to have featured in the Scottish game.
John Greig (1966 and 1976), Sandy Jardine (1975, 1986), Brian Laudrup (1995, 1997), Henrik Larsson (1999, 2001), Barry Ferguson (2000, 2003), Craig Gordon (2006, 2015) and Leigh Griffiths (2013, 2016) are the only men who have won the award twice.
However, the late, great Jardine claimed he was the only three-time winner as he was part of the Scotland World Cup squad that was unusually but deservedly honoured in 1974.
Mark Hateley became the first non-Scot to win the award in 1994 and there have been six non-British winners – Laudrup, Larsson, Shunsuke Nakamura, Carlos Cuellar, Emilio Izaguirre and Odsonne Edouard.
Football Writers had been voting for the Manger of the Year under various sponsorship guises when it became an SFWA award in 1996 with Walter Smith becoming the first recipient after leading Rangers to a League and Cup double.
The Young Player of the Year award was introduced in 2004 and is only open to players who are eligible to play for Scotland while the International Player of the Year was first voted for in 2008.