Karim Benzema, Kevin De Bruyne and Courtois Nominated For UEFA Award
Man city’s Kevin De Bruyne, Karim Benzema and Thibaut Courtois of Real Madrid were the players shortlisted for the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award on Friday.
The trio was chosen from a list of 15 players by a jury made up of journalists and representatives of teams participating in European competitions, according to the governing body of European football.
Robert Lewandowski, a Polish striker, narrowly missed winning as he was fourth on the list.
On August 25, during the Champions League group stage draw, the award will be given out.
Spanish Liga and the Champions League were both won by Real Madrid.
After scoring 15 goals in the competition, including three in Real’s semi-final win against Manchester City, Karim Benzema was awarded the Champions League Player of the Season.
Following Cristiano Ronaldo with 324 goals, Benzema became Real Madrid’s second-highest scorer in club history on Wednesday in the European Supercup against Frankfurt.
Thibaut Courtois, who was voted player of the game, was outstanding as Real Madrid defeated Liverpool 1-0 in the championship game.
After leading City to the Premier League championship, Kevin De Bruyne was named to the shortlist for the third consecutive year.
After winning the Champions League with Chelsea and the postponed Euro 2020 with Italy, Jorginho won the championship the previous year.
The three candidates for coach of the year were also made public by UEFA.
They are Carlo Ancelotti of Real Madrid, Josep Guardiola of Man City, and Juergen Klopp of Liverpool, the player they had to defeat to win their biggest championships the previous season.
AFP
