Initial shortlist announced for 2013/14 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award

034 - Shortlist for Best Women’s Player in Europe Award also announced

UEFA today announced the ten player shortlist for the second round of voting for the 2013/14 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award. This season marks the fourth edition of the award, which was born out of an initiative by UEFA President Michel Platini, in partnership with the European Sports Media (ESM) group. Lionel Messi (ARG – FC Barcelona), Andrés Iniesta (ESP – FC Barcelona) and Franck Ribéry (FRA – FC Bayern München) won the first, second and third editions respectively.

The award will be presented in Monaco on Thursday 28 August 2014 during the 2014/15 UEFA Champions League group stage draw. As in previous years, a jury of journalists from each of UEFA’s member associations and selected by the ESM has provided a list of their five best-ranked players. The players are ordered from one to five, with the first receiving five points, the second four points and so on. Only the ten best-ranked players advance to the second vote, which will define the shortlist of the three finalist nominees, who will be named on Thursday 14 August 2014. The jury will then cast their live votes during a special ceremony on the occasion of the 2014/15 UEFA Champions League group stage draw, with the same journalists using an electronic system to determine the outright winner from the three candidates.

The shortlist of ten players in alphabetical order is: Diego Costa (ESP – Club Atlético de Madrid, now at Chelsea FC); Ángel Di María (ARG – Real Madrid CF); James Rodríguez (COL – AS Monaco FC); Philipp Lahm (GER – FC Bayern München); Lionel Messi (ARG – FC Barcelona); Thomas Müller (GER – FC Bayern München); Manuel Neuer (GER – FC Bayern München);  Arjen Robben (NED – FC Bayern München); Cristiano Ronaldo (POR – Real Madrid CF); Luis Suárez (URU – FC Liverpool, now at FC Barcelona).

The full list of 35 players who received votes in the initial vote can be accessed here: http://uefa.to/1rjMpD2

UEFA has also announced today the ten player shortlist for the second round of voting for the 2013/14 UEFA Best Women’s Player in Europe Award. The shortlist has been provided by the coaches of the eight teams taking part in last season’s UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-finals. Nadine Angerer (GER – 1. FFC Frankfurt, now at Portland Thorns FC) was last season’s inaugural winner of the award. The shortlist of the ten (eleven due to equal points of two players in tenth place) players in alphabetical order is:

Verónica Boquete (ESP – Tyresö FF, now at Portland Thorns FC); Nilla Fischer (SWE – VfL Wolfsburg); Lena Goeßling (GER – VfL Wolfsburg); Nadine Keßler (GER – VfL Wolfsburg); Lena Lotzen (GER – FC Bayern München); Marta (BRA – Tyresö FF); Martina Müller (GER – VfL Wolfsburg); Alexandra Popp (GER – VfL Wolfsburg); Christen Press (USA – Tyresö FF, now at Chicago Red Stars); Lotta Schelin (SWE – Olympique Lyonnais); Caroline Seger (SWE – Tyresö FF, now at Paris Saint-Germain).

The full list of 20 players who received votes in the initial poll can be accessed here: http://uefa.to/1r6pMjQ

In the second round, the voting jury for the women’s award will be composed of 12 journalists, each committed to supporting women’s football and selected by the ESM, with the shortlist of the three finalist nominees scheduled to be named on Thursday 14 August 2014. The same jury will cast their live votes in Monaco during a special ceremony on the occasion of the 2014/15 UEFA Champions League group stage draw, with the journalists using an electronic system to determine the outright winner from the three candidates.