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| UEFA announce the 10-man shortlist for Best Player In Europe award for 2015/16. (Picture: Twitter) |
UEFA have announced a ten-man shortlist for the 2015/16 UEFA Best Player in Europe award, with the winner set to be named on 25 August.
According to UEFA’s official website, ‘The award “recognises the best player, irrespective of his nationality, playing for a football club within the territory of a UEFA member association during the previous season.’
The voting system coupled with the final shortlist was announced, with the European football governing body also revealing how the final shortlist was generated.
“Journalists from each of UEFA’s 55 member associations provided a list of their five best-ranked players, with the first receiving five points, the second four and so on. The ten players with the most points advance to the second vote, which will determine the three finalists to be named on 5 August.”
“The jury will then cast their votes for the outright winner, which will be announced during the 2016/17 UEFA Champions League group stage draw in Monaco on 25 August.”
Since the award’s inception in 2011, Lionel Messi is the only player to have lifted it twice (2011 and 2015), with Andres Iniesta (2012), Franck Ribery (2013) and Cristiano Ronaldo (2014) all winning the award once.
The ten-man shortlist for the 2015/16 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award in alphabetical order:
Gareth Bale (Real Madrid & Wales)
Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus & Italy)
Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid & France)
Toni Kroos (Real Madrid & Germany)
Lionel Messi (Barcelona & Argentina)
Thomas Müller (Bayern Munich & Germany)
Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich & Germany)
Pepe (Real Madrid & Portugal)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid & Portugal)
Luis Suárez (Barcelona & Uruguay)