Pernille Harder named 2019/20 UEFA Women's Player of the Year
Thursday, October 1, 2020
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Pernille Harder has become the first player to top the poll of coaches and journalists for a second time.
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Pernille Harder has won the 2019/20 UEFA Women's Player of the Year award, becoming the first player to receive the prize for the second time.
Harder, who moved from Wolfsburg to Chelsea last month, finished ahead of Wendie Renard and last year's winner Lucy Bronze in the voting conducted by a panel of leading coaches and journalists, having previously topped the poll in 2017/18. The result was announced during the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League draw ceremony in Geneva.
The 27-year-old Denmark attacker was also named UEFA Women's Champions League Forward of the Season in the competition's inaugural positional awards.
The top ten
1 Pernille Harder (Wolfsburg, now Chelsea & Denmark) – 92 points
2 Wendie Renard (Lyon & France) – 81 points
3 Lucy Bronze (Lyon, now Manchester City & England) – 28 points
4 Vivianne Miedema (Arsenal & Netherlands) – 26 points
5 Delphine Cascarino (Lyon & France) – 24 points
6 Eugénie Le Sommer (Lyon & France) – 13 points
7 Ada Hegerberg (Lyon) – 11 points
= Amel Majri (Lyon & France) – 11 points
9 Marie-Antoinette Katoto (Paris Saint-Germain & France) – 8 points
10 Dzsenifer Marozsán (Lyon & Germany) – 7 points
Why did Harder win the award?
Just as when she topped the poll in 2017/18, Harder's Wolfsburg lost to Lyon in the UEFA Women's Champions League final but the Danish forward only augmented her reputation as probably the most accomplished all-around attacker in Europe. In a season where Wolfsburg completed another German double, she scored 38 goals in 33 games, as well as another five for Denmark.
Harder’s haul included 27 in the Frauen-Bundesliga – the highest tally since Inka Grings in 2009/10 – and, aided by four quarter-final strikes against Glasgow City, nine in the UEFA Women's Champions League, one more than when Harder was top scorer in 2018/19. Not long after the finals, Harder left Wolfsburg in a high-profile transfer to Chelsea.
Previous award finishes: 6th (2019), 1st (2018), 2nd (2017)
Roll of honour
2019/20 ─ Pernille Harder (Wolfsburg & Denmark)
2018/19 ─ Lucy Bronze (Lyon & England)
2017/18 ─ Pernille Harder (Wolfsburg & Denmark)
2016/17 ─ Lieke Martens (Rosengård & Netherlands)
2015/16 ─ Ada Hegerberg (Lyon & Norway)
2014/15─ Célia Šašić (FFC Frankfurt & Germany)
2013/14 ─ Nadine Kessler (Wolfsburg & Germany)
2012/13 ─ Nadine Angerer (FFC Frankfurt & Germany)
How the award works
The UEFA Women's Player of the Year prize recognises the best players, irrespective of nationality, who played for a club within the territory of a UEFA member association during the past season. Players are judged on performances in all club and national-team competitions.
The jury comprised the coaches of the eight clubs that participated in the final tournament of the 2019/20 UEFA Women's Champions League and 20 journalists specialising in women's football and selected by the ESM group. Jury members chose their top three players, with the first receiving five points, the second three and the third one.
The other award winners
UEFA Men's Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Men's Coach of the Year: Hansi Flick
Women's Coach of the Year: Jean-Luc Vasseur
Men's Goalkeeper of the Season: Manuel Neuer
Men's Defender of the Season: Joshua Kimmich
Men's Midfielder of the Season: Kevin De Bruyne
Men's Forward of the Season: Robert Lewandowski
Women's Goalkeeper of the Season: Sarah Bouhaddi
Women's Defender of the Season: Wendie Renard
Women's Midfielder of the Season: Dzsenifer Marozsán
Women's Forward of the Season: Pernille Harder
UEFA President’s Award: Didier Drogba