SPL: Carlos Cuellar (Rangers), Lee Wilkie (Dundee United)
Honourable mentions: Zander Diamond (Aberdeen), Stephen McManus (Celtic), Darren Barr (Falkirk)
It was no surprise to anyone except the most blind, deluded Celtic fan (or all 2 million of them) that Cuellar would win the player of the year reward. He has been a class act all season, with the composure and skill of a continental defender, but also the strength, power and ruggedness of a British centre-back. If he doesn't move to the Premiership in the summer, I will be an eensy bit shocked. Wilkie, meanwhile, finally looks capable of fulfilling the potential he showed in his youth; if not for the absence of a cruciate ligament, he too might be playing at a bigger place than Tannadump - sorry, Tannadice - every second week.
EPL: Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Joleon Lescott (Everton)
Honourable mentions: Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea), Micah Richards (Manchester City), Martin Laursen (Aston Villa)
Last year Vidic was Man U's outstanding defender; this year, though, Rio has been impervious. Gone are the lapses in concentration that have dogged him for years. He has now matured into a prime candidate for the title of the world's best central defender. Lescott has spent a lot of this season at left back, but is at his best in the centre. He has the pace to match most top strikers and with his efforts at both ends of the pitch (10 goals in all competitions at the time of writing), he has contributed more than most to Everton's success this season.
L.
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