Gareth Bale was awarded the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year for the 2012–13 season. The Tottenham Hotspur winger was recognized after an outstanding campaign in which his speed, long-range shooting, athleticism, and growing influence made him one of the Premier League's defining players.
Bale scored 21 Premier League goals during that season and helped Tottenham remain in contention for Champions League qualification. He was also named both the PFA Players' Player of the Year and the PFA Young Player of the Year, making the 2012–13 campaign an exceptional individual awards sweep.
The FWA award is voted on by members of the Football Writers' Association, an organization founded in 1947. Bale became Tottenham's first FWA Footballer of the Year since David Ginola won in 1999, and he was the first Welsh winner since Everton goalkeeper Neville Southall in 1985. A common mix-up is calling it a Premier League award; it is a journalists' award, separate from the PFA honors.