Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling was on Monday voted Football Writers' Association Player of the Year. Sterling topped the poll of the 400-strong FWA membership as a clear winner, with some 62 per cent of the votes. He was more than 100 ahead of Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk. Sterling's teammate, Sergio Aguero, was in third place. The FWA Women's Footballer of the Year award for 2019 is Manchester City's England forward Nikita Parris, who won the vote of an FWA panel of experts by the narrowest of margins from Arsenal and Netherlands striker Vivianne Miedema. Sterling, who on Sunday was crowned the Professional Footballers' Association Young Player of the Year, <a href="https://www.thenational.ae/sport/football/mohamed-salah-congratulates-virgil-van-dijk-after-he-pips-raheem-sterling-to-pfa-player-of-year-award-1.854838">missing out on the main award to Van Dijk</a>, has enjoyed another prolific campaign at City. The England international, 24, has scored 17 league goals and registered 14 assists as City look to reclaim their Premier League title. They top the table on 92 points - one ahead of Liverpool - with two games remaining. Sterling will be presented with the Footballer of the Year trophy, which has been awarded since 1948, at The Landmark London on May 9, when Parris will also collect her accolade. Newly-elected FWA chair Carrie Brown said: "Raheem Sterling is a player of style and a man of substance. "More than 70 years ago Charles Buchan, one of the founding fathers of the Football Writers' Association, suggested there be an award presented to the player who by "precept and example" is considered the Footballer of the Year. "Raheem Sterling is an exemplar of the talent and values our founding fathers sought to reward when they established the FWA in 1947. "To have been voted the 2019 Footballer of the Year by our members, and with such an overwhelming majority, clearly acknowledges the contribution from a player over one season." As well as being a key man in Pep Guardiola's side as they battle with Liverpool for the Premier League title, Sterling has also received praised for the strong stance he has taken against racism in the game, having himself been subjected to abuse. City are chasing a domestic treble having already secured the League Cup in February, prevailing after a shoot-out victory over Chelsea. Sterling and his teammates will also contest the FA Cup final against Watford at Wembley on May 18. Dreams of an unprecedented quadruple were dashed in the most heartbreaking fashion earlier this month when Sterling was denied an injury-time goal against Tottenham Hotspur that would have sent City through to the semi-finals by a VAR review. Sterling has scored 29 goals for club and country in 2018/19, including a hat-trick for England in the opening Euro 2020 qualifier against the Czech Republic at Wembley, while also helping Gareth Southgate's squad reach this summer's Nations League finals.
