McKay, 28, has been central to the Roar’s success all season and has been a ball of energetic inspiration captaining the side from midfield.

So much so that even in a pre-season match against English Premier League club Everton, the Toffees manager David Moyes and captain Phil Neville were moved to comment on McKay’s dynamism and energy.

“No-one can deny that ‘Mattie’ has had a stunning season as Brisbane’s midfield maestro,” FMA Executive Member and FOX Sports Executive Producer Murray Shaw said, presenting the award to McKay at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday.

“There have been outstanding players in almost every club and there have been so many strong individual performers in Brisbane Roar that they sometimes crowd each other out in end of year awards like this.

“But for the football media, Mattie was a runaway winner."

McKay earned 63 votes from the football media followed by team mate Thomas Broich with 36 votes and Marcos Flores of Adelaide United with 35 votes.  Flores was awarded the peer-voted Johnny Warren Medal earlier in the week.

McKay’s fine form with Brisbane Roar in which he has, to date, played for 2,326 minutes was interspersed with a stunning return to national team duty when he was included in Holger Osieck’s squad for the Asian Cup held in Doha in January, and held down a regular spot in the Socceroos ahead of Brett Emerton.

McKay is Queensland born and bred and was a 14-year-old ‘wannabe’ footballer when he watched Frank Farina lead the Brisbane Strikers to Grand Final victory over Sydney United in the then national soccer league in 1997.

Inspired by that performance, McKay went from Sunnybank Saints and Mt Gravatt junior clubs to Brisbane Strikers and Eastern Suburbs in the Queensland State League, and is a graduate of both the Queensland Academy of Sport and the Australian Institute of Sport. 

He has been with Brisbane Roar since the start of the A-League in 2005 and has amassed 120 games with the Roar scoring 18 goals.

At only 171cm and 65kg, McKay is one of the smallest A-League players in the competition.

“That’s the beauty of football,” Shaw said.  “It doesn’t discriminate on size and bulk if you’ve got the skills. Just ask Maradona or Messi.

“Besides, what Mattie lacks in size, he makes up for in heart and skill.  He’s the engine room of Brisbane Roar and has been a pleasure to watch all season, a great example to kids and to his team mates.

“The FMA is delighted to present its Player of the Year Award to Matt McKay in 2011.”