“It’s an honour” - Afonso Sousa named Midfielder of the Year in Poland after title-winning goal [video] | OneFootball

It has been a week to remember for Portuguese midfielder Afonso Sousa, whose goal clinched the Polish Ekstraklasa title for Lech Poznań on the final day.

Former Porto and Belenenses man Sousa scored the only goal as Lech beat Piast Gliwice 1-0 last Saturday, meaning they finished just one point ahead of Rakow Czestochowa. Having secured the title, Sousa was named Midfielder of the Year in the national awards just a few days later.

“It is an honour to receive the award for best midfielder of the season,” Sousa said of the accolade. “Thank you to my teammates, coaches and fans for all their help – without you this would not have been possible. Thank you to my family for all their support!”

Sousa was also named on the three-man shortlist for the overall Player of the Year in Poland, having contributed an impressive 13 goals and 4 assists from his 32 appearances. The performance represents a huge improvement for the 25-year-old in his third season with Lech, having not scored a single goal last term.

Sousa comes from a strong footballing background. His father, manager Ricardo Sousa, was a Portugal youth international who has a long playing career, while his grandfather António Sousa earned 29 caps for Portugal in the 1980s and had a stellar career with Porto, where he won the European Cup in 1987.