Juan Mata, Lucas Piazon And Ramires Win Chelsea End-Of-Season Awards

Chelsea have announced their award winners for the 2011/12 season (even though it's not quite over yet). I think everyone was expecting one of Juan Mata and Ramires to win our Fans' Player of the Year award, and it ended up going to Mata. The award is well deserved - Mata's been everything that was advertised and much more. Hopefully this is just the start of a long and successful Chelsea career.

Ramires won the Players' Player of the Year award. He's been brilliant all season, whether it be in the centre or on the right wing. He scored in the FA Cup final, set up Didier Drogba's winner against Barcelona at Stamford Bridge and managed a brilliant brilliant goal at the Camp Nou to basically take us to the Champions League final. I really can't express just how far he's come along since his first few months, but he's been absolutely superb this season, and the players have recognised that.

The Young Player of the Year award ended up going to Lucas Piazon, which is so much of a surprise that I wrote this entire sentence before it was announced. Piazon's been clearly a step above in youth team games, and while I'm not convinced he's ready for much more than a first-team cameo next season he's going to be a very, very good football player. With David Luiz as 'a second dad', which would be... something.

Goal of the Season ended up going to Ramires for his stunning strike against Barcelona. Again, not much of a shock - the context of the goal along with its phenomenal quality make it one of the most incredible goals in Chelsea's history. It was competing against Mata's volley vs. Manchester United, Frank Lampard's free kick vs. Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley, Didier Drogba's opener in the same match, Fernando Torres' match winner at the Camp Nou and Raul Meireles' solo effort to kill off Benfica in the Champions League. Ramires' acceptance speech was predictably adorable.

Chelsea legend Bobby Tambling was also honoured with a Special Recognition Award - a great gesture from the football club to one of its true heroes. Tambling, who's scored 202 goals for the Blues, couldn't make it to the ceremony because he's back in hospital, but his stand-in speech was really, really touching. Good luck to Tambling for a speedy recovery.