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Virgil van Dijk and Lucy Bronze voted UEFA Players of the Year

UEFA Champions League positional awards were also presented to Alisson, Van Dijk, De Jong and Messi.

Virgil van Dijk and Lucy Bronze voted UEFA Players of the Year
Virgil van Dijk and Lucy Bronze voted UEFA Players of the Year ©UEFA.com

Lucy Bronze has been voted UEFA Women's Player of the Year 2018/19. The announcement was made at today's 2019/20 UEFA Champions League group stage draw in Monaco.

The Olympique Lyonnais and England defender, who helped her club win last season's UEFA Women's Champions League title and was a semi-finalist with her country in this summer's FIFA Women's World Cup, claimed a total of 88 points in a special poll featuring journalists and coaches. Her Lyon club-mate, forward Ada Hegerberg, came second with 56 points, while another Lyon player, French international midfielder Amandine Henry, was third with 44 points.

The jury was composed of the coaches of the 12 highest-ranked teams in the latest UEFA women's national team rankings (which also comprised the nine European sides that took part in the recent Women's World Cup in France), together with the coaches of the eight clubs which participated in the quarter-finals of the 2018/19 UEFA Women's Champions League. Also on the panel were 20 journalists specialising in women's football, who were selected by the European Sports Media (ESM) group. The final result was based on the total number of points from the votes cast by the coaches and journalists.

In a video-recorded message, 27-year-old Bronze said: "I'm very honoured to be receiving this award, especially because I was up against two great team-mates from Olympique Lyonnais. I also want to say a huge thanks to the England team for the great summer that we enjoyed. I don't think that I would have won this award if it wasn't for them.

"The same thanks also go to my club for such an amazing season. I think any of my club-mates could be up here receiving this award for such a fantastic team. I want to thank both teams for pushing me to be a better player, and for making me the player that I am today."

Liverpool FC defender Virgil van Dijk was crowned UEFA Men's Player of the Year 2018/19 at the same ceremony in Monaco. The Netherlands centre-back, who was the pillar of his club's sixth European title last season, wins this award for the first time.

The jury was composed of the 80 coaches of the clubs which participated in the group stages of the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, together with 55 journalists selected by the ESM group from each of UEFA's member associations. The final result was based on the total number of points from the votes cast by the coaches and journalists.

Van Dijk collected a total of 305 points, with FC Barcelona and Argentina forward Lionel Messi (207 points) and Juventus and Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo (74 points) occupying second and third places respectively.

Receiving the award on stage, 28-year-old van Dijk said: "First of all, I would like to thank all my team-mates. Without them and without the staff, I wouldn't have achieved what I've achieved over the past year. I also thank my family, of course.

"It has been a long road, but that is part of my journey, it's part of who I am. I had to work hard every step of the way. I'm very happy and proud to get this trophy, and all the credit goes to everyone who has helped me along the way."

The UEFA Player of the Year awards recognise the best players, irrespective of their nationality, who have played for a football club within the territory of a UEFA member national association. The awards are based on players' performances during the 2018/19 season in all competitions, both domestic and international, and at club and national team levels.

Meanwhile, four players were presented with the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League positional awards during the UEFA Champions League group stage draw at Monaco's Grimaldi Forum.

The jury for these awards was comprised of the coaches from the 32 clubs which participated in the group stage of the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League, together with 55 journalists selected by the ESM group. The final result was based on the total number of points from the votes cast by the coaches and journalists.

Alisson Becker (Brazil, Liverpool FC) was crowned UEFA Champions League Goalkeeper of the Season, amassing a total of 334 points and finishing ahead of Marc-André ter Stegen (Germany, FC Barcelona), who collected 136 points, and Hugo Lloris (France, Tottenham Hotspur FC), who claimed 105 points.

Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands, Liverpool FC) was named UEFA Champions League Defender of the Season thanks to a total of 349 points. Matthijs de Ligt (Netherlands, AFC Ajax, now with Juventus) finished second with 205 points and Trent Alexander-Arnold (England, Liverpool FC) came in third with 29 points.

Frenkie de Jong (Netherlands, AFC Ajax, now at FC Barcelona) was crowned UEFA Champions League Midfielder of the Season, picking up a total of 222 points, while Christian Eriksen (Denmark, Tottenham Hotspur FC) picked up 60 points to finish second and Jordan Henderson (England, Liverpool FC) ranked third with 59 points.

Lionel Messi (Argentina, FC Barcelona) was named UEFA Champions League Forward of the Season, claiming a total of 285 points. Sadio Mané (Senegal, Liverpool FC) came second with 109 points and Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Juventus) was third with 91 points.

Finally, during the Monaco ceremony, French and European football legend Eric Cantona was presented with the 2019 UEFA President's Award by UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin for his outstanding career and services to football both on and off the pitch.

In addition, a dedicated supporter of Burnley FC, Scott Cunliffe, together with the German club Borussia Dortmund, received the UEFA #EqualGame Awards, which recognise a person or entity that has acted as a role model in promoting diversity, inclusion and accessibility in European football.