Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne are up against each other to be your Manchester City player of 2022 - and it's neck-and-neck as the closing line approaches.
They are up against the likes of Mo Salah, Harry Kane and Beth Mead after being nominated for the prestigious Fans' Footballer of the Year Award, which is in its third year, and gives fans of Premier League clubs the chance to vote for the player they feel has had the biggest impact over the calendar year.
Liverpool star Salah has won the big prize for the last two years, but with City 's domestic dominance De Bruyne and Haaland were always going to give him a run for his money this year.
You can cast your vote for Haaland and De Bruyne in the national award and also vote for your City player of the year by following this link or voting below:
Here are the nominations in full for the national Fans' Footballer of the Year Award:
- Erling Haaland
- Kevin De Bruyne
- Mohamed Salah
- James Maddison
- Beth Mead
- Bruno Guimaraes
- Harry Kane
- Heung-Min Son
- Bukayo Saka
There is also a separate vote in which Blues can vote for their City Fans' Footballer of the Year, allowing supporters to recognise the player that's made the biggest impact at the Etihad over the last year.
And despite four players being nominated for the Blues' prize, it has become a two-horse race between De Bruyne and Haaland - and with the vote closing on Thursday December 15, the race couldn't be tight with just a handful of votes between the two.
Here are the nominations for the City Fans' Footballer of the Year award:
Kevin De Bruyne
Last season, De Bruyne showed his goalscoring abilities to fire City to another Premier League title with pivotal goals against Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool - plus his ridiculous four goals at Wolves. He scored the winning goal in the Champions League quarter-final vs Atletico Madrid and scored in the semi-final vs Real. This term, he's swapped goals for assists again and is already halfway to his record of 20 Premier League assists in a season. That's not to mention world-class goals against Leicester and Brighton, his third-place finish in the Ballon d'Or, and his fearsome link-up with Phil Foden and Erling Haaland. While Haaland gets the headlines nowadays, De Bruyne remains the real star at the Etihad.
Phil Foden
Foden started 14 of City's 18 Premier League games in 2022 last season, scoring four times, and was equally as important in their run to the Champions League final. This season, he's started 11 of 16 league games, and has ten goals or assists to his name in that time. His importance will have contributed to the departures of Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus, and his connection with Erling Haaland could define City's success in the coming years. His hat-trick in the Manchester derby was a statement that he can only continue to get better.
Joao Cancelo
Whether on the right or left, Cancelo is proving to be invaluable to City's defence, especially when injuries require him to switch positions regularly. He can play as a traditional full-back on either side, or invert inside to act as a quarterback and support the attack centrally. With five assists to go with his two goals this season, Cancelo is showing his attacking ability regularly, and is the ultimate modern full-back. His importance is highlighted even further when Kyle Walker is injured or he doesn't play, which is often the sign of a top player.
Erling Haaland
He's only played 18 games for City since signing in the summer but is still hard to ignore for a Player of the Year vote. With 23 goals in that time, including 18 in the league, Haaland is six goals clear as top scorer of 2022, and has already scored more than City's top Premier League scorer last season. He's also one goal from Riyad Mahrez's club-high of 24 goals in all competitions from last term in just those 18 games. There were doubts over how he would fit in at City, and he has answered those emphatically, scoring a range of goals from close-range finishes to bulldozing one-on-ones to emphatic penalties. Haaland has everything he needs to succeed at City, and the early signs are he will do exactly that. Few players have made such an impact in the Premier League in such a short period of time.
You still have time to change the outcome - the closing date is Thursday December 15, so don't delay.
You can cast your vote for Haaland and De Bruyne in the national award and also vote for your City player of the year by clicking here or voting below:
