Gareth Bale named Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year

Tottenham Hotspur winger Gareth Bale has been named as the Footballer Writers' Association Player of the Year.

The 23-year-old earns his third award in less than a week, after he was named as the PFA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year on Sunday evening.

The Welsh international edged out Manchester United's Robin van Persie for the accolade, while Chelsea's Juan Mata was in third.

The top two players in the poll accumulated 96% of the votes, with Bale picking up a 53% share while Van Persie was close behind with 43%.

Other players to win a vote were Luis Suarez, Pablo Zabaleta, Santi Cazorla, Rickie Lambert and Christian Benteke.