Who won Chelsea player of the year for both 2012 and 2013?

Juan Mata won Chelsea’s Player of the Year award in both 2012 and 2013.

The Spanish attacking midfielder received the award for the 2011–12 season after an outstanding debut campaign at Stamford Bridge. He helped Chelsea win the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League, including a crucial assist in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich. Mata’s creativity, set pieces and goal contributions quickly made him a fan favourite.

He retained the honour for the 2012–13 season, becoming one of the key figures in Chelsea’s Europa League-winning campaign. Mata produced 20 goals and 35 assists in all competitions that season, according to Chelsea’s retrospective coverage, and also won the club’s Players’ Player of the Year award in 2013. His performances earned wider recognition too, including selection in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year.

A common mix-up is treating “2012 and 2013” as calendar-year awards. Chelsea generally lists these honours by the year in which the season-ending award was presented: Mata’s victories correspond to 2011–12 and 2012–13. He later left Chelsea for Manchester United in January 2014.