• The jury comprises renowned sports journalists representing each of the UEFA national associations.

• Each journalist initally provided a list of their top five players, with the first player receiving five points, the second four points and so on.

• The three players with the most points overall from the first round of voting were shortlisted for the final round of voting.

• The names of the three nominees (in alphabetical order Andrés Iniesta, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo), together with the full first-round voting results, were announced on UEFA.com on 14 August; positions four to ten were then confirmed.

• This deciding vote will take place in Monaco on 30 August when the journalists vote live, via an electronic system, to determine the winner from the shortlist of three.  In the event of a tie, the scores from the first round of voting will be used to decide the winner.