Gareth Bale loses his Welsh Footballer of the Year award
The Real Madrid forward had won the prize for four consecutive seasons but has been displaced by Reading defender Chris Gunter.
Gareth Bale has lost out in the voting for Welsh Footballer of the Year after four consecutive years of winning the award. The Real Madrid forward had become a fixture on the dais at the annual ceremony but was beaten to the prize on Monday evening by Reading full back Chris Gunter.
Gunter closing in on Neville Southall's record
The award was given in recognition not only of Gunter’s season but his career as a whole, the 28-year-old having made 81 appearances for Wales during his career and not missing a match for his country over the course of the last 56 international fixtures. With another 11 caps Gunter will equal Neville Southall’s record of 92 international appearances for The Dragons; Bale has so far played for his country on 68 occasions.
Bale voted players' player of the year
Bale, who has been ruled out of Wales’ fixtures during the international break, did not go entirely empty handed at the ceremony as he was elected player of the year by his teammates with Angharad James picking up the women's player of the year award.
In the fans’ vote, Stoke City midfielder Joe Allen won the award while 17-year-old Liverpool forward Ben Woodburn, who made his debut for Wales in September and scored against Austria, scooped the young player award.
