MADRID, 17 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Argentine Leo Messi, the Norwegian Erling Haaland and the Belgian Kevin de Bruyne are the nominees for the UEFA Player of the Year award last season, after being the most voted for in a shortlist of footballers in which the Spanish Rodri appear. Hernández and Jesús Navas, fifth and eleventh, respectively.
The three players will know the final decision on the award, which takes into account the performance of their club and national team players, at the draw ceremony for the 2023/24 Champions League group stage, which will take place on August 31 at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.
Messi’s ‘candidacy’ for the award presents the World Cup won in Qatar with Argentina as a great argument to win the trophy, while with his former club, PSG, he won the French League. He will compete for the award with the ‘citizens’ Haaland and De bruyne, champions of the ‘triple’ Champions, Premier and FA Cup. In addition, the Norwegian was the top scorer in the Champions League (12) and the English championship (35, a record of the league).
In the list published by UEFA, Ilkay Gündogan (Germany and Manchester City, 129 points) and Rodri (Spain and City, 110) were fourth and fifth, respectively. While also appearing Kylian Mbappé (France and PSG, 82), Real Madrid player Luka Modric (Croatia, 33), Marcelo Brozovic (Croatia and Inter, 20), Declan Rice (England and West Ham, 14), Alexis Mac Allister (Argentina and Brighton, 12) and Sevilla player Jesús Navas (Spain, 6).
The three candidates were voted on by a jury made up of the coaches of the clubs that played in the group stage of the Champions League, the Europa League and the Conference in the 2022/23 season, the coaches of the European men’s teams and a group of journalists selected by the ‘European Sports Media’ (ESM).
Coaches and journalists were asked to choose three players from the shortlist by assigning them five points, three points and one point, respectively. Technicians could not vote for players from their own team.