Footballer of the Year sees you taking total control of the career of an aspiring striker with a Division 4 team, with the Footballer of the Year award the ultimate goal. You start with a small amount of money, which is used to buy goal cards, each of these sets you up a chance in a match. Up to three can be played in each game, making Hat-Tricks a possibility.

The action sequence is viewed from a 1st person perspective with the ball at the bottom of the screen and you either get a shot at goal or a penalty kick. If you have the chance to shoot at goal, you have the ball at your feet and you can move left or right before shooting. Defenders will come at you so you must move and shoot as quick as possible hoping the shot isn't blocked or saved by the keeper. The penalty attempt sees you trying to place the ball past the keeper. Fail to score enough goals and you may lose your place in the team, do especially well and you may gain a transfer up the league.

There is no arcade sequence for the C16 or the BBC Micro version, you just get text asking if you want to shoot to the left or right with text describing the outcome.