Cristiano Ronaldo must be a warm favourite to retain his PFA Player of the Year title following an incredible season.
Portuguese hot favourite to retain players' crown
Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo must be a warm favourite to retain his PFA Player of the Year title following an incredible season, not just by the Portuguese's standards, but by anyone's.
To date, Ronaldo has scored 37 goals in 41 appearances for United in all competitions and has surpassed George Best's club record for goals in a season by a winger.
Ronaldo had a relatively slow start to the campaign, failing to score in his first three appearances and also being sent-off for a butt on Richard Hughes in a 1-1 draw at Portsmouth.
His first goal of the season came against his former club Sporting Lisbon when Ronaldo's stooping header got United's UEFA Champions League campaign off to the perfect start.
That was one of nine occasions when Ronaldo has scored the only goals in wins for United and he also weighed in with his first hat-trick in the 6-0 thrashing of Newcastle in January.
He has continued to dazzle with his fancy footwork, which also never ceases to infuriate his opponents or opposition fans, but if he keeps the ball and United are winning, where's the harm?
People pay to be entertained and, for all of his past indiscretions, Ronaldo is certainly one of the Premier League's great entertainers and should be commended for sticking to his own unique style.
One criticism which has been levelled against Ronaldo in the past has been the fact he often went missing in big games and it is true he was quiet in the second leg of last season's Champions League semi-final against Milan and also the FA Cup final against Chelsea.
But this time around, he is starting to rise to the challenge of the big occasion, scoring at Arsenal, at home to Liverpool and heading the crucial opening goal in the Champions League quarter-final against Roma.
His form and well-being remain crucial to United's chances of success this season and, while the other five contenders have sound arguments for dethroning Ronaldo, none are as persuasive as the current holder's.
He is the top scorer in the Premier League and the Champions League and, given that he has clearly improved from last year, it seems unthinkable that he will not be Player of the Year again.
Gordon Taylor's verdict
The debate about whether he's as good as George Best will go on and on, but for him to have broken George's goalscoring record from a wide position is phenomenal - as are those incredible free kicks he practices tirelessly.
