Virgil van Dijk and Vivianne Miedema win PFA player of the year awards
Dutch duo Virgil van Dijk and Vivianne Miedema have won the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year awards for 2018-19.
Liverpool defender Van Dijk, 27, beat Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva, Sergio Aguero, Sadio Mane and Eden Hazard in the vote by his fellow players.
Arsenal forward Miedema, 22, beat Steph Houghton, Nikita Parris, Keira Walsh, Erin Cuthbert and Ji So-Yun.
Manchester City forward Sterling won the men's young player prize.City also provided winners for two other awards, with England forward Georgia Stanway claiming the women's young player prize and England captain Houghton receiving the PFA Special Achievement award.
Van Dijk succeeds Liverpool team-mate Mohamed Salah, who won for 2017-18, and is the first defender to take the award since Chelsea centre-back John Terry in 2005.
Miedema, who helped Arsenal clinch their first Women's Super League title since 2012 earlier on Sunday, follows Chelsea and England striker Fran Kirby.
Van Dijk has been one of the key players in Liverpool's ongoing title challenge this season, playing in every one of their Premier League fixtures.
Signed in January 2018 from Southampton for a world record fee for a defender of £75m, the Netherlands international has been a rock at the heart of the Reds' defence.
Liverpool have kept 19 clean sheets from the 36 league games in which Van Dijk has played this season, 28 of which they have won.
He has also contributed three goals and two assists during the campaign.
"It's the highest honour you can get as a player to get voted player of the year by the players you play against every week," said Van Dijk.
"It's special. I'm very proud and honoured to receive it."
Van Dijk could still end the season with a Premier League winner's medal as Liverpool currently trail Manchester City by a single point with two matches remaining.
Chelsea playmaker Hazard, who won in 2015, was also nominated alongside the City trio of Aguero, Silva and Sterling, and Van Dijk's Liverpool team-mate Mane.
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