LONDON, April 28: Arsenal striker Thierry Henry was voted Footballer-of-the-Year for the third time in four years by the Football Writers' Association (FWA) on Thursday.

The Frenchman, top scorer in the Premier League this season with 23 goals and instrumental in helping Arsenal reach the Champions League final, was a clear winner ahead of runner-up John Terry of Chelsea and Manchester United's Wayne Rooney.

Liverpool's Steven Gerrard, the Professional Footballer's Association (PFA) Player-of-the-Year, finished fourth ahead of Joe Cole and last year's winner Frank Lampard. Henry also collected the award in 2003 and 2004, the first back-to-back winne.

Paul Hetherington, chairman of the FWA, said: “Henry is a deserving winner in a season when there have been several outstanding candidates, such as Terry, Rooney and Gerrard.—Agencies