Every Celtic SFWA Player of the Year since 1965 amid Daizen Maeda and Callum McGregor nominations

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The Scottish Football Writers’ Association have delivered a Player of the Year award since 1965.

At that time, Celtic were about to become the dominant team in Scotland under the tutelage of Jock Stein, with unprecedented success including the European Cup set to follow.

Hoops legend Billy McNeill was the first recipient of the award and over the decades since, Celtic have produced the most award winners above any other club in Scotland.

In 26 different years, Celtic players have won the award, including a stretch in the 2010s and into the 2020s where it was held by a Hoops man seven years in a row.

Daizen Maeda and captain Callum McGregor have been nominated for the 2025 award and are up against Dundee’s Simon Murray and Hibs midfielder Nectar Triantis.

Here is every single Celtic winner of the SFWA Player of the Year award since 1965.

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All 26 Celtic SFWA Player of the Year winners

Billy McNeill (1965)

• Position: Defender
• Appearances: 39
• Goals: 2
• Honours: Scottish Cup

Ronnie Simpson (1967)

• Position: Goalkeeper
• Appearances: 60
• Honours: European Cup, Scottish League, Scottish Cup, Scottish League Cup

Bobby Murdoch (1969)

• Position: Midfielder
• Appearances: 50
• Goals: 8
• Honours: Scottish League, Scottish Cup, Scottish League Cup

George Connelly (1973)

• Position: Midfielder
• Appearances: 58
• Goals: 1
• Honours: Scottish League

Danny McGrain (1977)

• Position: Defender
• Appearances: 55
• Goals: 1
• Honours: Scottish League, Scottish Cup

Charlie Nicholas (1983)

• Position: Striker
• Appearances: 55
• Goals: 1
• Honours: Scottish League Cup

Brian McClair (1987)

• Position: Striker
• Appearances: 57
• Goals: 41
• Honours: N/A

Paul McStay (1988)

• Position: Midfielder
• Appearances: 54
• Goals: 5
• Honours: Scottish League

Craig Burley (1998)

• Position: Midfielder
• Appearances: 48
• Goals: 15
• Honours: Scottish League, Scottish League Cup

Henrik Larsson (1999)

• Position: Striker
• Appearances: 48
• Goals: 38
• Honours: N/A

Henrik Larsson (2001)

• Position: Striker
• Appearances: 50
• Goals: 53
• Honours: Scottish League, Scottish Cup, Scottish League Cup

Paul Lambert (2002)

• Position: Midfielder
• Appearances: 49
• Goals: 5
• Honours: Scottish League

Jackie McNamara (2004)

• Position: Defender
• Appearances: 43
• Goals: 1
• Honours: Scottish League, Scottish Cup

John Hartson (2005)

• Position: Striker
• Appearances: 49
• Goals: 30
• Honours: Scottish Cup

Shunsuke Nakamura (2007)

• Position: Midfielder
• Appearances: 50
• Goals: 11
• Honours: Scottish League, Scottish Cup

Gary Caldwell (2009)

• Position: Defender
• Appearances: 47
• Goals: 3
• Honours: Scottish League Cup

Emilio Izaguirre (2011)

• Position: Defender
• Appearances: 42
• Goals: 1
• Honours: Scottish Cup

Charlie Mulgrew (2012)

• Position: Defender
• Appearances: 44
• Goals: 9
• Honours: Scottish League

Kris Commons (2014)

• Position: Midfielder
• Appearances: 48
• Goals: 32
• Honours: Scottish League

Craig Gordon (2015)

• Position: Goalkeeper
• Appearances: 52
• Honours: Scottish League, Scottish League Cup

Leigh Griffiths (2016)

• Position: Striker
• Appearances: 51
• Goals: 40
• Honours: Scottish League

Scott Sinclair (2017)

• Position: Midfielder
• Appearances: 50
• Goals: 25
• Honours: Scottish League, Scottish Cup, Scottish League Cup

Scott Brown (2018)

• Position: Midfielder
• Appearances: 56
• Goals: 0
• Honours: Scottish League, Scottish Cup, Scottish League Cup

James Forrest (2019)

• Position: Midfielder
• Appearances: 56
• Goals: 17
• Honours: Scottish League, Scottish Cup, Scottish League Cup

Odsonne Edouard (2020)

• Position: Striker
• Appearances: 47
• Goals: 29
• Honours: Scottish League, Scottish Cup, Scottish League Cup

Kyogo Furuhashi (2023)

• Position: Striker
• Appearances: 50
• Goals: 34
• Honours: Scottish League, Scottish Cup, Scottish League Cup