PFA Player of the Year 2016: Winner, Voting Results and Awards Reaction

Leicester City’s Riyad Mahrez has been named the 2015-16 PFA Player of the Year after a stunning campaign.

The result was confirmed via the PFA on Sunday:  

The Foxes star, who has been superb in his side’s surge to the top of the Premier League, has netted 17 goals and bagged 11 assists so far this season.

"All the credit is for my team-mates, seriously, and for my manager and the staff," Mahrez said after accepting the award, via Sky Sports, who provided more from the Leicester star:

"

Without them I wouldn't receive this award and I wouldn't score. It's the team spirit, and I want to dedicate it to them.

I'm very grateful to receive this award - it's a pleasure. It's extra special because, if the players vote for me, it's because they've seen I've been great this year, so I'm happy.

"

Mahrez saw off competition from his Leicester team-mates, Jamie Vardy and N’Golo Kante, to clinch the award. Also in the running was Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane as well as Arsenal and West Ham United playmakers Mesut Ozil and Dimitri Payet, respectively.

Vardy finished in second in the voting, while Kane rounded out the top three, per Darren Lewis of the Daily Mirror.

It’s been an incredible season for Mahrez, whom the Foxes snapped up in January 2014 from Le Havre for £350,000.

From the outset of this campaign, he’s been a dazzling presence in the final third. The Algeria international has left defenders bewildered with his balletic balance, enchanting trickery and ability to conjure telling moments from innocuous positions. 

Greg Johnson of Squawka stated earlier this month he feels the 25-year-old is a deserved winner, with his aesthetic playing style key:

In a campaign of many highs, a standout performance at Swansea City saw Mahrez bag a hat-trick, while he also excelled in the 3-1 win at Manchester City, which saw the Foxes cement their status as potential champions.

Ben Hoskins/Getty Images

Alongside Vardy, Leicester’s attacking play with the Algeria star at its crux has been sensational to watch. Additionally, Mahrez has been consistent throughout the campaign, coming up with big moments—think of the winning goals away at Watford and Crystal Palace lately—when his team have needed them in the title hunt.

The challenge for Leicester will be keeping hold of a footballer who is so gifted and so decisive in the final third. Earlier in the season, he was linked with a move to Barcelona by Simon Jones of the Daily Mail, and that prospect would be difficult for any player to turn down.

Nevertheless, Mahrez is already well on his way to accomplishing his goals at the King Power Stadium. Not only has he been crowned as the best player in the division and close to becoming a Premier League champion, next season he’ll be rubbing shoulders with Europe’s elite in the UEFA Champions League, too.