The 24-year-old received the award at a ceremony on Monday night, and became just the second player to win it after 10-years of dominance by his former club team-mate and LA Galaxy striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic who won it in every year from 2007 to 2016.
“Thank you very much. It means very much for me to stand here today and receive this prize,” he said.
“I am very proud and extremely grateful. I want to thank all my team-mates, in the club team and national team.
“Then I would like to thank my family as they always been there for me in good and bad.
“You really mean everything to me.”
He also thanked his wife, Maja: “To my beautiful wife: Thank you very much for being there and taking care of me and helping me and always supporting me. You… you are… you mean everything to me.”
See full list of winners from 2007 – 2018.
2007: Zlatan Ibrahimovic
2008: Zlatan Ibrahimovic
2009: Zlatan Ibrahimovic
2010: Zlatan Ibrahimovic
2011: Zlatan Ibrahimovic
2012: Zlatan Ibrahimovic
2013: Zlatan Ibrahimovic
2014: Zlatan Ibrahimovic
2015: Zlatan Ibrahimovic
2016: Zlatan Ibrahimovic
2017: Andreas Granqvist
2018: Victor Lindelof
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