Cristiano and Messi to miss UEFA player of the season after ten years

For the first time in a decade, neither Cristiano Ronaldo nor Lionel Messi will be in the running for the UEFA Player of the Season award. 

The two have won the accolade five times between them, with Ronaldo testing victory thrice while his archrival has two to his name.

In total, they have been nominated 15 times for UEFA’s top award, but there will be a new winner once again when the announcement will be made on October  1. 

Robert Lewandowski, who is the clear favorite, will battle teammate Manuel Neuer and Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne, who inspired the English club’s run to the last four. 

Ronaldo and Messi were underwhelming as Juventus and Barcelona were knocked out of the competition, with the latter, in particular, suffering humiliation in the hands of eventual winners, Bayern. 

They both scored three goals each in eight matches, compared to Lewandowski’s 15 through the campaign. 

And with both of them going into their mid-thirties, is this a sign that change is sweeping across at the top?

The winner will be announced – along with the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year and UEFA Champions League positional award winners – during the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League draw ceremony in Nyon on Thursday 1 October.  

Full list of top-10 nominees

1. Robert Lewandowski
2. Kevin de Bruyne
3. Manuel Neuer
4. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) 53 votes
5. Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain) 53 votes
6. Thomas Müller (Bayern) 41 votes
7. Kylian Mbappé (Paris Saint-Germain) 39 votes
8. Thiago Alcántara (Bayern) 27 votes
9. Joshua Kimmich (Bayern) 26 votes
10. 1 Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus) 25 votes