Clubs: Swansea City, Crystal Palace, Blackburn Rovers, Fulham

International honours: Wales
Caps won at Palace: 11

Powerfully built, versatile defender Chris Coleman, joined the Eagles as a Welsh Under-21 international but he was unable to break into Palace's First Division defence and it was largely as a reluctant but most effective stand-in striker that manager Steve Coppell used him in his first two seasons at Selhurst Park.

Chris scored for Wales upon his debut for the country, then immediately demonstrated the primary reason for his joining Palace when new manager Alan Smith deployed him in defence from the start of 1993/94, first at left-back then as pivot alongside Welsh international colleague Eric Young. It was with this latter formation that Palace stormed to the top of the First Division in the autumn and midwinter. To the delight of everyone at Selhurst Park, the Eagles then took the championship in some style and, with Chris making full appearances in that successful and attractive side, he was the popular winner of the supporters' vote for Player of the Year.

He became a regular member of the full Welsh international side while Palace were a Premiership side in 1994/95, gaining 11 caps as a Palace player. To the disappointment of Palace fans, Chris chose to leave Palace and moved to Blackburn a couple of weeks before Christmas 1996.

Statistics

Player of the Year: 1994

Source: Crystal Palace FC, Player by Player Since 1960, Rev. Nigel Sands, (1996, Sporting and Leisure Press)