The winger featured in the first two games of 2009 before injury hit.

Nationwide England Player of the Year 2009 candidates
Stewart Downing
Age 25 Date of Birth 22.07.1984
Career caps 23
Caps in 2009 2
Aston Villa

The creative midfielder has seen his appearances in 2009 severely limited due to a serious knee injury which he picked up towards the end of last season and ruled him out for much of the year.

Downing had started the year brightly and played in the early part of 2009, with appearances against both Spain in the starting line-up and then Slovakia from the substitutes’ bench at Wembley.

But when injury struck whilst playing for Middlesbrough, that saw him miss out on the rest of the games as England secured their qualification for next summer’s World Cup.

Injury didn’t stop him from being picked up by Aston Villa in the close season though and he made his return to first team action in November so will now have his eye on bouncing back fully in 2010, catching Fabio Capello’s eye and earning a place in the 23-man squad for South Africa.

You can vote for Stewart Downing as your 'Nationwide England Player of the Year' on the poll on the right. You'll need a FAN, but you can sign up for a free one by clicking the FAN button at the top of the page and you'll then be able to take part in this and future polls and competitions...

If you vote for the eventual winner, you could win a signed England shirt and two tickets to see England against Egypt. Two lucky runners-up will also receive a pair of tickets to the World Cup warm-up on 3 March.

So get voting, and don't forget you can join the debate by becoming a Fan of England on Facebook.

Former winners of the award include Frank Lampard who won it in 2004 and 2005, Owen Hargreaves earned the prize for his performances in 2006, and Steven Gerrard completed a midfield clean sweep with the award in 2007. Wayne Rooney is the current holder having been voted Player of the Year for 2008.

Prize Draw Competitions Terms and Conditions

The full list of players who played during 2009 - click here