AIFF Player of the Year Awards
| Sport | Association football |
|---|---|
| Country | India |
| Presented by | All India Football Federation |
| History | |
| First award | Men's (M): 1992 Women's (W): 2001 |
| First winner | M: I. M. Vijayan W: Bembem Devi |
| Most wins | M: Sunil Chhetri (7 awards) W: Bala Devi (3 awards) |
| Most recent | M: Subhasish Bose (2024–25) W: Soumya Guguloth (2024–25) |
| Website | www |
The AIFF Player of the Year Awards are the annual awards presented to the best footballers in India by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). The AIFF first announced the award for Men's Player of the Year in 1992; I. M. Vijayan was the inaugural winner. No winner was announced in 1998 and 1999. It was re-introduced in 2000 and Viajayan won it for the second time becoming the first player to do so. Sunil Chhetri has won the award a record seven times. Jo Paul Ancheri, Bhaichung Bhutia and Lallianzuala Chhangte have each won the award twice. Subhasish Bose is the most recent winner in the men's category.
The AIFF Women's Player of the Year Award was introduced in 2001. Bembem Devi was its first recipient. No winner was given out from 2002 up to 2012. In 2013, the award was re-introduced and Bembem Devi won it for the second time. Other than Bembem Devi, Bala Devi and Manisha Kalyan have won the award multiple times. Bala Devi has won the award thrice, whereas Kalyan won the award twice. Soumya Guguloth is the most recent winner in this category.
Along with the men's and women's awards, the AIFF Emerging Player of the Year Award for men was introduced in 2013. Jeje Lalpekhlua was the inaugural winner. He went on to win the Men's Player of the Year Award for 2016. Sandesh Jhingan is the only other player to have won both the awards. Anirudh Thapa is the only player to have won this award twice. In 2015, Pyari Xaxa became the inaugural winner of the award in the women's category. Sanju Yadav and Kalyan are the only players to have won both the Emerging player of the Year and the Player of the Year Award for women. In 2024, the award was renamed as Promising Player of the Year Award. Brison Fernandes and Thoibisana Chanu are the most recent winners in the men's and women's categories respectively.
Until 2016, the men's awards were selected on the basis of voting by the coaches of the I-League clubs. Since 2017, coaches of both the I-League and the Indian Super League have voted to select the winner. The women's awards are selected by the head coach of the women's national team in consultation with the AIFF Technical Director.