Everton midfielder Steven Pienaar has been voted the South Africa Footballer of the Year following his superb showings last season for both club and country.

The 27-year-old was brought to Goodison Park by David Moyes in 2008 for a tidy £2million and has since established himself as one of the Premier League's most gifted attacking midfielders

He enjoyed a fantastic 2008/09 season with the Toffees, helping them to a fifth place finish in the top-flight and to the FA Cup final, before ending the campaign on a high note with South Africa in the Confederations Cup.

Pienaar was Bafana Bafana's stand-out player during the competition in his homeland and his efforts were noted to such lengths that there have been calls for him to skipper the side ahead of current captain Aaron Mokoena.

Pienaar's emergence as an influential player on the domestic and international scene has not gone unnoticed by Everton’s rivals with interest from a number of elite European clubs.

Atletico Madrid, Fiorentina and Manchester City are all reported to be huge admirers of the former Ajax starlet, who has been sidelined in recent weeks with a persistent knee injury.