BARCELONA, SPAIN - AUGUST 13: Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid reacts during the Supercopa de Espana Supercopa Final 1st Leg match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid at Camp Nou on August 13, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain.
The UEFA announced a top three shortlist for its 2019/2020 Men’s Player of the Year award which did not include football legends Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for the first time in 10 years.
The shortlist included Manchester City’s midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, Bayern Munich’s striker Robert Lewandowski and Bayern Munich’s goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. The rest of the top ten on the list include Barcelona’s Messi, Paris Saint German’s Neymar, Bayern Munich’s Thomas Muller, Paris Saint German’s Kylian Mbappe, Bayern Munich’s Thiago Alcantara, Juventus’ Ronaldo and Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich.
Messi and Ronaldo both had a disappointing Champions League unlike previous seasons. Messi exited when his side lost 8-2 to Bayern Munich during the competition’s quarter final, while Ronaldo’s Juventus was knocked out during the round of 16 by Olympique Lyonnais.
Bayern Munich’s players clearly dominated the shortlist after a successful 2019/2020 season, winning the Bundesliga, the German Cup and the UEFA Champions League.
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Bayern’s Lewandowski is a clear favorite for the Player of the Year award after winning all three trophies and scoring the most goals in the 2019/2020 UEFA Champions League, 15 goals.
Manchester City’s De Bruyne had an exceptional season despite not winning any trophies with his club. He was Europe’s number one assist provider, assisting 20 goals and scoring 13 in the Premier League. De Bruyne was recently crowned the PFA’s 2019/2020 Player of the Year award.
Bayern’s Manuel Neuer is the club’s number one goalkeeper whose heroics helped win many games in the Bundesliga and Champions League. Neuer kept six clean sheets during the Champions League.
The final decision on this year’s award will be decided using a voting process. The winner will be crowned on October 1 in Nyon, Switzerland, where the 2020/2021 UEFA Champions League draw will also take place.
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