Ilta-Sanomat Player of the Year Award () is an annual award given by the Finnish evening paper Ilta-Sanomat for the best individual players of Finnish top leagues in ice hockey (SM-liiga), basketball (Korisliiga), volleyball (Mestaruusliiga) and floorball (Salibandyliiga). Due to sponsorship reasons the award has not been given in football Veikkausliiga since 2009.
The award is based on post-match ratings made in every single match by a sport journalist and two local sportspersons or celebrities. Best player of the match is awarded with three points ("stars"), second best with two and third best with one. The player collecting most "stars" during the season wins the award.
Winners Football Season Player Club1983 Mika LipponenTPS Turku1984 Heikki SuhonenTPS Turku1985 Jukka IkäläinenKePS Kemi1986 Ismo LiusFC Kuusysi1987 Jarmo AlatensiöPPT Pori1988 Ismo LiusFC Kuusysi1989 Jari LitmanenReipas Lahti1990 Jari LitmanenReipas Lahti1991 Jari LitmanenHJK Helsinki1992 Vasili KaratayevRoPS Rovaniemi1993 PiracaiaFC Jazz1994 Alexei Eremenko Sr.FF Jaro1995 Valeri PopovitchFC Haka1996 Luiz AntônioFC Jazz1997 Alexei Eremenko Sr.FF Jaro1998 Zeddy SailetiRoPS Rovaniemi1999 Valeri PopovitchFC Haka2000 Shefki KuqiFC Jokerit2001 Antti PohjaTampere United2002 Jari NiemiTampere United2003 Valeri PopovitchFC Haka2004 Fredrik SvanbäckFF Jaro2005 Valeri PopovitchFC Haka2006 Farid GhaziHJK Helsinki2007 Valeri PopovitchFC Haka2008 Mikko HyyrynenFF Jaro
See also Finnish Footballer of the Year
References