The PFA Team of the Year has often been one of the most anticipated events on the Premier League calendar, and this season could see plenty of Liverpool and Manchester City stars make the XI.
With Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane once again dominating in attack to Kevin De Bruyne and Joao Cancelo pushing City forward to another Premier League title, the PFA Team of the Year could heavily favour two sides this campaign.
Yet five years ago saw two different teams dominate the end-of-season XI as Chelsea won their last Premier League title as Tottenham, of all clubs, finished comfortably second in the standings, and the PFA Team of the Year for that campaign reflects that.
However, the XI also begs the question of where did these players next end up, and have they continued at the level of success that these awards usually bring to certain players?
GK – David de Gea (Manchester United)
Current club: Manchester United
The goalkeeper with the most PFA Team of the Year appearances in the last decade, David de Gea has long been Manchester United’s best player in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, and the Spaniard was again in top form this campaign.
Managed by Jose Mourinho, De Gea was key to United returning to the UEFA Champions League after United’s triumph in the UEFA Europa League, and the keeper remains in Manchester since this season.
RB – Kyle Walker (Tottenham)
Current club: Manchester City
Tottenham’s 2016/17 season is arguably their best ever in recent memory, with the north London side finishing second with their record number of points and the least goals conceded all campaign, and Kyle Walker was key to this form.
Easily the best fullback in the country this season, Walker’s performances would win the England international a then world-record move for a defender to Manchester City, where the right-back has continued to impress for the Premier League giants.
CB – Gary Cahill (Chelsea)
Current club: AFC Bournemouth
Chelsea were crowned champions in the 2016/17 season, and Antonio Conte’s three-at-the-back system quite literally changed English football, with numerous clubs adopting the system and in doing so turning once forgotten defenders into superstars, such as Gary Cahill.
The centre-back, now at AFC Bournemouth after two seasons at Crystal Palace following his departure from Chelsea, was the defensive heartbeat for the Blues, and his leadership skills were instrumental in Conte landing his first piece of silverware in England.
CB – David Luiz (Chelsea)
Current club: Flamengo
Do not adjust your screens, David Luiz really did make it into the PFA Team of the Year, and what a season the Brazilian centre-back had under Conte, with the defender one of the stars for Chelsea this season.
Re-signed from PSG, Luiz’s comeback was a surprise to many fans, though, in Conte’s system, the future Arsenal and now Flamengo defender was brilliant for the Italian, and was crucial to Chelsea’s Premier League title win this campaign.
LB – Danny Rose (Tottenham)
Current club: Watford
Like some of his Tottenham teammates, Danny Rose was included in the PFA Team of the Year for the second year running as the former England star built from his brilliant campaign with Spurs last season.
Forming a brilliant partnership with Walker, Rose was dynamic, intelligent and a powerhouse down the left for Spurs, and it is a shame to see how far the defender has fallen in recent years in light of battles with mental health and issues on the pitch.
RM – Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
Current club: Real Madrid
The PFA Player of the Year for 2015 and Chelsea’s talisman for both goals and assists in 2016/17, Eden Hazard was simply unplayable this season in what was one of the Belgian’s best-ever years in the Premier League.
After a £150m dream move to Real Madrid, Hazard looked ready to go supernova in Spain. However, as we know, consistent injuries have robbed the winger of his blockbuster spell in La Liga, and the forward might never reach his previous heights again as he did at Chelsea.
CM – Dele Alli (Tottenham)
Current club: Everton
The second season-in-a-row Dele Alli made the PFA Team of the Year and was named Young Player of the Year, and this year was arguably the former Tottenham star’s best yet in the Premier League.
A driving force for Spurs in their second-place finish and now a full England international, Alli looked to have the world at his feet. Little did we know that the midfielder would fall off his perch, with the 26-year-old now just a squad player at Everton.
CM – N’Golo Kante (Chelsea)
Current club: Chelsea
N’Golo Kante was nothing short of a sensation for Leicester City in their title-winning season, and when Chelsea signed the Frenchman one year later, the midfielder somehow became better as the Blues star was named PFA Player of the Year.
Covering every blade of grass on the pitch in every match, Kante’s stamina and relentless style of play catapulted the Chelsea star into the bracket of elite players in world football, where the midfielder still resides five years later.
LM – Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
Current club: Liverpool
Mane was viewed by some during this time as an unusual signing for Liverpool, yet as we know, Jurgen Klopp’s decision to bring in the Senegal international was a stroke of genius, with the attacker now one of the best players in the Premier League.
Hitting double digits in goals in every season and bringing Champions League and domestic success to Anfield, Mane has been a revelation for Liverpool, and his debut season this campaign showed the magic that was to come.
ST – Harry Kane (Tottenham)
Current club: Tottenham
A one-season wonder that turned into a two-season wonder, Harry Kane made it yet another incredible season for the Tottenham striker, where his status as one of the best in world football was solidified.
29 goals in 30 Premier League games marks Kane’s best season yet in terms of goals-to-games ratio, and the striker has only developed more in the proceeding seasons as a more complete player as well as a lethal goalscorer.
ST – Romelu Lukaku (Everton)
Current club: Chelsea
Romelu Lukaku playing for Everton might be something that slipped your mind, and another thing you might have forgotten was that the 2016/17 season remains the striker’s best yet in any league.
25 goals for the Toffees helped Everton secure a Europa League spot, yet now Lukaku, despite his insane record, finds himself on the bench at Chelsea after returning to the Blues last summer for a club-record £97m deal.
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