Goal.com Premier League Player Of The Year 2008-09

Nominations

Xabi Alonso (Liverpool)

Has never been a player to steal headlines, but his orchestration in the middle of the park all season long for Liverpool has been the main reason for their improved consistency and quality of play. The more his influence takes centre-stage at Anfield, the better the Reds tend to fare. Maybe not so many goals, or even assists, but the Basque has brought out the best in almost all of his team-mates from the season's beginning to its end.

Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)

We have seen a more settled and composed Steven Gerrard than usual this season, as he has played in just one position for the entire season and done much more than just make flying tackles and score stoppage-time screamers. The freedom he has been offered in the hole has enabled him to terrorise opposition defences with his running, passing, and yes, shooting. He has a record goal tally for the season, albeit with many coming from the penalty spot, but a progressive, high-quality season nevertheless.

Frank Lampard (Chelsea)

If one man continued to get it right throughout the turmoil at Stamford Bridge this season, it was Frank Lampard. Both on and off the pitch, the former West Ham man seemed to get all the little things spot on, and popped up in the right places at the right times to score some big goals - breaking 20 for the fifth consecutive season - and gain a fair amount of recognition from his peers.

Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)

His very style of play and uncontainable ability to succeed makes him a contender for almost any award. He got plenty of goals - big, spectacular ones - and played all across the front line with equal amounts of quality. He was, for much of the season, United's most threatening forward player - it's little coincidence that the Red Devils' slow start coincided with his injury. Played his part in bagging the League Cup, Club World Cup and Premier League and was the closest thing United had to a shining light in their Champions League final capitulation at the hands of Barcelona.

Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United)

This is a man whose season was probably as close to perfection as you could expect from a defender until Fernando Torres, ably supported by Steven Gerrard, decimated him at Old Trafford towards the end of the season. From then on, despite the resulting loss not proving decisive, he never quite hit top gear again and paid the dearest of prices for just that when, in Rome, he was turned by Samuel Eto'o in the tenth minute for the goal that changed the game and handed all the initiative to Barcelona.

Goal.com Premier League Player of the Year: Xabi Alonso

Sulmaan Ahmad, Goal.com

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