Posted by For the first time in 10 whole long years, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been left off the final shortlist for the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award. Ronaldo, who currently plies his trade in Italy with Juventus, has picked up the accolade on three occasions and also has a total of nine nominations to his name, while Barcelona superstar Messi has won it two times and made the final shortlist in six of the last 10 seasons.
Manchester City mildfielder, De Bruyne could become the second Premier League player to get the nod in as many years when the final announcement is made before the draw for the 2020-21 Champions League group stages on October 1, having inspired City’s run to the quarter-finals. At the same time, Lluis Cortes, Stephan Lurch and Jean-Luc Vasseur make up the final candidates for the Women’s Coach of the Year, as the managerial awards are set to be presented for the first time in the competition’s history.
Source: Goal.com