PAOLO Di Canio has been voted 'Player of the Year' by his fellow professionals. The Celtic wizard received his honour at the Scottish Professional Footballers Association awards which were held last night in the Thistle Hotel in Glasgow.
While not popular with football's authorities, Di Canio has been one of the most entertaining figures in football this
season, as well as possibly the most committed Celtic player.
Di Canio took the award ahead of the popular Brian
Laudrup of Rangers, another foreigner who has had an outstanding season.
Laudrup won the honour in 1995 and last year it went to his team-mate Paul Gascoigne.
In fact, Rangers players have taken the award for the past five years with Mark Hateley, Andy Goram, and Ally McCoist topping the list previously.
Dundee United's top scorer, Robbie Winters, while still awaiting a call from Scotland, was recognised as the Young Player of the Year.
In the first division, St Johnstone's top scorer Roddy Grant was the players' choice, while in division two, Paul Ritchie of Hamilton Academical, capped a season in which he has scored 34 goals by being chosen by his peers.
Ian Stewart, of division three champions Inverness Caledonian Thistle, was the player of the year in that category.
In a year for anniversaries, special merit awards were given to Bob Laird, the Third Lanark historian, 30 years after the club became defunct, and to the Rangers squad which won the European Cup-winners' Cup a quarter of a century ago.
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