Messi & Ronaldo don't make UEFA Men's Player of the Year 2020 top 3; first time since 2010

UEFA on Wednesday, September 23 announced the three-man shortlist for the UEFA Men's Player of the Year 2020 award, with it throwing up a huge surprise. The shortlist for the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year 2020 award doesn’t have either Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, with this occurring for the first time since 2010. The winner of the UEFA Men's Player of the Year 2020 award will be announced along with other UEFA awards during the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League draw ceremony in Nyon on October 1.

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UEFA Men’s Player of the Year 2020 nominees announced

The three players who will vie for the prestigious award will be Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne, Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski and Manuel Neuer. All three footballers had stellar seasons for their clubs, with Bayern Munich duo Robert Lewandowski and Manuel Neuer part of the German team that won a historic treble during 2020-21 season.

Kevin De Bruyne had an outstanding season individually at Manchester City, scoring 13 goals in the Premier League. The Belgian maestro also set up 20 goals in the league and was Europe’s top assist provider. The midfielder helped his side win the English League Cup last year, as he scored 16 times and registered 23 assists in 48 appearances for the Premier League giants.

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Robert Lewandowski had his best-ever personal season in 2019-20, with the Poland international scoring 55 goals in just 47 games for Bayern Munich. The number nine finished top of the scoring charts in both the Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League campaigns, scoring 34 and 15 goals respectively. He was supported admirably by Bayern Munich veteran Manuel Neuer in goal, as the goalkeeper conceded just 49 goals in 51 matches as he kept 22 clean sheets last year.

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UEFA awards: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo failed to make the top three

While announcing the top three nominees for the UEFA Men’s Player of the year 2020 award, the body also shared the top 10 players. The list had Lionel Messi in fourth place, while Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo could only manage a 10th place. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been the two most successful players when it comes to the award’s history, with the Portuguese slightly ahead of the Argentine when it comes to the Messi vs Ronaldo awards tally in this competition. Lionel Messi has won the award twice, first in 2010/11 and then in 2014/15. Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, is the award’s most successful recipient, having won it in 2013/14, 2015/16 and lastly in 2016/17.

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Notably, with both Lionel Messi and Cristiano absent from the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year 2020 top three shortlist, this will be the first time since 2010 that neither of Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo will be part of the top three. Notably, the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year 2020 award shortlist also marks the lowest position Cristiano Ronaldo has ever found himself in during the competition’s history.

Image Credits: UEFA website