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Less than a week after double-scooping both PFA awards, Gareth Bale has been voted this season's Footballer of the Year by the Football Writers' Association. With 53% of the total vote, he edged out runner-up Robin van Persie and distant third place finisher Wan Matter Juan Mata.
Gareth Bale becomes the first Spurs man to win it since David "Ooh Aah" Ginola in 1999. In response to winning, Bale trotted out some generic platitudes:
The Tottenham midfielder said: "This award has been won in the past by some of the greatest names in football and I consider it a privilege that the FWA has selected me to be named alongside them."
Other vote-getters include the impressive fullbacks Leighton Baines and Pablo Zabaleta, metronomic passer Michael Carrick, signing-of-the-season Michu, and.. erm.. Rickie Lambert. What about erstwhile frontrunner and intermittent cannibal Luis Suarez?
FWA voting: Bale 53pc, Van Persie 43pc. Mata finished third, long way behind. Luis Suarez got two votes overall.
— James Olley (@JamesOlley) May 2, 2013
Whoops.
Gareth Bale has been in scintillating form this season, taking his game to an entirely new level and earning him probably-undeserved-but-still-quite-flattering comparisons to Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Receiving a hat trick of individual honors is great news for our talismanic Welshman, and hopefully doesn't encourage him to add a La Liga winners medal to his trophy haul next season.
Congratulations Gareth, we love you!