With few weeks to the announcement of the UEFA Player of the Award on August 29 winner, the body last week, released the three nominees for the award.
Players shortlisted are Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Virgil van Dijk for the coveted Best Men’s Player award.
The award is given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best performer in the preceding year at both club and international level, with the only criterion being that said player must represent a club in Europe.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus/Portugal)
No doubt, one of the favourites to win the UEFA Player of the Year Award after enjoying a blissful season with Portugal and Juventus.
Despite failing to lead the old Lady to the Final of the UEFA Champions League last season, where the team crashed out at the quarter-final stages of the competition, Ronaldo was at the peak of his game Juventus as they won an eighth successive Serie A title.
The Portuguese icon still managed to score 28 goals and register 10 assists for Juventus in all competitions which is not bad for a 34-year-old.
On the international scene, he also scored a 53rd career hat-trick to fire Portugal into the final of the maiden edition of the Nations League, also captaining them to victory over the Netherlands in the final on home soil.
Over the years, Ronaldo has proven to be arguably the biggest big-game player in history and he once more stepped to the plate last season so is more than deserving of the UEFA Player of the Year Award.
Lionel Messi (Barcelona/Argentina)
Lionel Messi had one of the best individual campaigns of his illustrious career last season as he finished with 51 goals and 22 assists from just 50 matches in all competitions for Barcelona, which came at a staggering goal involvement ratio of 1.46 goals per match. Besides, he also won a record sixth European Golden Shoe as well as the Champions League Golden Boot for the fifth time.
These are not regular numbers, and the Rosario native would have been the overwhelming favourite for this award had Barcelona not suffered an embarrassing elimination to Liverpool in the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Messi saw his chances further hampered with his no-show on the field and shameful outburst at the 2019 Copa America, but despite these, he is still in the running to win this award for the third time.
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool/Netherland)
Virgil van Dijk is the overwhelming favourite to triumph in most of the individual awards, and it is rightly so, as the 28-year-old’s performances over the last year have been stupendous, to say the least.
Having joined Liverpool for a record-breaking sum in January 2018, the Dutch international has more than justified his fee with calm and confident displays at the heart of the defence.
Last season, he was the stalwart of a Liverpool defence that conceded just 22 goals and kept 21 clean sheets, playing all but 28 minutes of the season as Jurgen Klopp’s men pushed Manchester City all the way in what was one of the tightest Premier League races in history.
Van Dijk was incredible, making 3,037 passes (which was the second-most in the league last season), while also attempting 38 tackles with a 74% success rate and making 199 clearances and 193 recoveries, and was voted as the PFA Player of the Year for his efforts.
He was also famously not dribbled past last season, as he helped Liverpool to their sixth Champions League trophy, in addition to captaining his nation to the final of the UEFA Nations League.
Who Deserve The Crown
On the basis of their achievements for last season, there is no doubt that Cristiano Ronaldo deserves to be crown the UEFA Player of the Year Award.
Ronaldo may have also failed to help Portugal at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where the team crashed out in the Round of 16 after losing 2-1 against Uruguay. It must be noted that Messi also lost in the Round of 16 to eventual Champions, France while Van Dijk was missing at the world showpiece in Russia.
By all standard, Ronaldo’s incredible achievements for club and country in 2018 and 2019 remain a feat that worth celebrating.
Are you crazy or what?
What kind of journalism is this..
Ronaldo shouldn’t even be in Top . Mane or Becker deserves better. He getting the MVP for the Italian League is purely for marketing.
Uefa best player based on INDIVIDUAL performances. Messi 51 goals and 22 assists in 50 games. I am sorry where is the argument?? Messi is a forward and he was top scorer in LA Liga and Champions league. He literally couldn’t do more! Barca and Argentina choking has nothing to do with this man. This author is biased and should be banned from publishing articles!
You’re not a clown, you’re the whole circus
in all round CR7 worth with 4 sure
This reporter must be a C. Ronaldo fan.
Ronaldo had a very good year for sure…but Juventus won 7 straight league titles without him so they would’ve won that title with or without him anyways in that 1 team league.
It is arguable that Liverpool could have won last year’s champions league final had it not been for Micky Mouse goalkeeping.
Becker seems to be a winner with all his teams last year.
But I’ve seen many of Messi’s games and I can’t help but think that Barça would not have won LaLiga without his 30 odd goals nor reach the semis of the CL ( leading scorer with braces agains Lyon, Man United and Liverpool).
You better get that little dick outta ronaldos mouth before it shrivels up
It is a shame to allow such people to write articles with no basis.
Please tell me you don’t get paid for your opinions.
Stupidity at its best, man shouldn’t make top 5 let alone win
article very biased to cristiano ronaldo. i dont have a problem with the player but like others mention that there is other players who deserve it more and you neglected the records broken by the 32 years old legend that season and amazing performance and comoaring them with nothing to compare! but in the end i think that van dijk deserves a trophy but nothing comoared to messi
Ronaldo is joke and has been for the past 3 to 4 seasons relying heavily on his teammates cause we all know he can’t dribble or create solo goals!! He doesn’t deserve to even be in the top 10!! This article is a joke and if Ronaldo were to win it will be a bigger robbery than his last 2 balon d Ors over Messi!! It is ridiculous how he always finds a way to be put in their with Messi when he is clearly an inferior player!!! This crap has gone to far already!!!
You are a Messi Fan
sentiment will kill your generation
You all saying Juve won seven without him check the only few games he did not play or perhaps starts for Juve … be wise when thinking Messi and Ronaldo are both amazing players… Messi is so so amazing playing for baca alone and outside it’s not and come to think about Ronaldo he is everywhere and that is what we should look into
Do Ronaldo play ball? If every player wait for ball to come for them to score,will football be interesting?have u seen another player playing with Rinaldo scoring up to 15 goals in a season? Stop being sentimental,messi creates chances,score,assist,allow teammates to play penalties and free kicks ,he is what football need and not to wait for ball to come and u score goal
What is hardly mention ,and it should cause that is what sets him apart from all the others,is that Messi plays everywhere in attack,creates for his teammates, and scores,there is no other player who does that and puts up those kind of numbers!!
Messi deserves every individual awards last season.. that for sure..
And here’s another cool stat.: if you concentrate on the top 5 scorers of série a, cr7 is the one with most shots (131), of which only 69 went on target… so, we have 21/131… well, really amazing isn’t it? the only fact presented on this article is the reporter’ s bias on ronaldo….
I personally find this rather biased towards ronaldo , in fact i believe that his impact on the team wasnt sufficient enough to make it this far. Both Van and Messi have both made larger contributions to their team which is why i believe either of them should have it
Professionalism aside, being raw, this writer is a crazed lunatic. So, based on only the World Cup performance of said players, he makes stupid assertions. Juventus carried the Seria A, for more than 5 years at a stretch without Ronaldo. Ronaldo played special match for Juve. Lionel Messi’s stats this year, are stratospherically eye-catching. However, he ignored it vehemently. The same crappy standards that the insinuates whoever wins the Champions league should win awards, is what Ronaldo has capitalized on for years, however, it should not apply to him now? This is poor journalism, this guy should be banned from the literary world.
Messi too capitalized you know
Surely your blog or website should be shutdown forever. Your IP should be traced, you should be arrested and kept away from the internet for at least 10yrs.
Why you fox making noise here, Stop your senseless attack on this innocent journalist, straight to the point, Ronaldo deserve the award, Ronaldo achieve greatly for him country, He won one trophy for portugal and club, two for juventus, wow three trophy in a season makes him a perfect winner,
Messi won nothing for Argentina this season, Just one trophy for Barcelona this season, That makes him Not to qualified,
Van Diyk gat nothing to offer, because he’s not and shouldn’t be on the list, i prefer mani to be on the list
You are dull , you know how to analse football you bastard , messi had a supersub performance during the EUFA Champions League
Is this journalist being sarcastic or is he smoking something no-one has ever seen on the face of this planet. Messi scored close.to double the goals of ronaldo and more than double the assists. Got the golden shoe and scored the highest goals in UCL. Won the La Liga. Juventus was kicked out in group stages and ronaldos individual numbers arent impressive either. He won the Nationals league and Serie A but If that is the criteria Van Dijk Won the UCL, took Netherlands to Nations league final and Prem by 1 point ..And 21 fucking clean sheets.
Ronaldo fans are crazy. Get your brains checked
You’re twisted. Did Ronaldo pay you to write this? Your view is bias.
U guys r posting wrongly against d journalist.. Uefa players of d yr mean European trophy like like UCL..Europa cup…Euro…Nation league n uefa super cup so tell me what did messi win by saying cr7 should not be there…messi only deserve to be in Balkan d’ or n FIFA men’s player of d yr…DAT all
this journalist didnt follow nation league from beginning.. ronaldo didnt play in NL group stage (played total 2 games semi and final) while van dijk played in NL group stage with germany and france (played total 6 games), scoring important last minute goal vs germany to book semifinal..both reached final and portugal won narrowly without ronaldo overshadow van dijk.. its unfair if based on NL, ronaldo ahead of van dijk.. plus that van dijk still tired played in NL semifinal few days after CL triumph, and liverpool only 1 point behind man city in EPL (liverpool record point in EPL).. about messi, if based on individual statistic, he will win.. he did it in 2010 and 2012 and ronaldo did it in 2013 without winning too much trophies.. ronaldo is all time great and he has nothing too prove but 2018/2019 season was van dijk or messi..
true talk