The Malta Independent’s Sports Editor, Henry Brincat, will be representing Malta at today’s fifth edition of the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award ceremony in Monaco. UEFA has again invited 54 members of the press from around Europe – one from every member association – to vote for the Best Player of season 2014/2015.
The award was created in partnership with European Sports Media. It recognizes the best player, irrespective of his nationality, playing for a club within the territory of a UEFA member association during the previous season. Two preliminary voting sessions have already been made following which, the 54 members of the jury selected Lionel Messi of Barcelona, Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo and another Barcelona player, Luis Suarez, as the three finalists. Lionel Messi broke Telmo Zarra’s record of 251 Liga goals with a hat-trick against Sevilla on 22 November; finished Barcelona’s treble-winning term with 58 strikes in all competitions, including a double in the Blaugrana’s Copa del Rey final victory against Athletic Club.
He ended the UEFA Champions League campaign as the ten-goal joint-top scorer along with Ronaldo and clubmate Neymar. Level with Ronaldo on 77 UEFA Champions League goals and 80 in UEFA club competition after the 2015 UEFA Super Cup.
Cristiano Ronaldo was the leading marksman in the Spanish Liga (48 goals) and the joint-top UEFA Champions League scorer. His output of 61 on all fronts for Madrid was a career-best from a season in which he leapfrogged Alfredo Di Stéfano into second place on the club’s all-time list. He notched five in a match for the first time as the Whites defeated Granada 9-1 on 5 April. Finished the campaign with three successive hat-tricks – against Espanyol, Getafe and Armenia.
Luis Suárez (Uruguay – Barcelona) was on target twice in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg against Manchester City, his first return to England since leaving Liverpool. He formed a devastating three pronged strike force with Neymar and Messi which yielded 122 goals in all competitions, and began this season by scoring in the UEFA Super Cup win against Sevilla.
As in previous years, a jury of journalists from each of UEFA’s member associations provided a list of their five best-ranked players. The players are always numbered from one to five, with the first receiving five points, the second four points and so on. Only the ten best-ranked players advanced to a second vote, which defined the shortlist of the three finalist nominees, who were named on 12 August.
The other players in the shortlist (in alphabetical order – before the second round of voting) were the following:
4 - Gianluigi Buffon (Italy – Juventus) 24 points
5 - Neymar (Brazil –Barcelona) 23
6 - Eden Hazard (Belgium – Chelsea) 21
7 - Andrea Pirlo (Italy – Juventus) 12
8 - Arturo Vidal (Chile – Juventus, now Bayern Munich) 11
9 - Carlos Tévez (Argentina – Juventus, now Boca Juniors) 8
10 - Paul Pogba (France – Juventus) 5
In total, 35 players received votes in the initial poll. The following did not make the ten man shortlist:
11 - Arjen Robben (NED – Bayern Munich)
12 - Manuel Neuer (GER – Bayern Munich)
13 - Carlos Bacca (COL – Sevilla, now AC Milan)
14 - Andrés Iniesta (ESP – Barcelona)
14 - Álvaro Morata (ESP – Juventus)
14 - Thomas Müller (GER – Bayern Munich)
17 - Kevin De Bruyne (BEL – Wolfsburg)
18 - Zlatan Ibrahimović (SWE – Paris Saint-Germain)
19 - Gareth Bale (WAL – Real Madrid)
19 - André-Pierre Gignac (FRA – Olympique Marseille, now Tigres UNAL)
21 - Robert Lewandowski (POL – Bayern Munich)
21 - Ivan Rakitić (CRO – Barcelona)
23 - Jérôme Boateng (GER – Bayern Munich)
23 - Xavi Hernández (ESP – Barcelona, now al-Sadd SC)
23 - Jackson Martínez (COL – FC Porto, now Atlético Madrid)
23 - Javier Mascherano (ARG – Barcelona)
23 - Alexis Sánchez (CHI – Arsenal)
28 - Giorgio Chiellini (ITA – Juventus)
28 - Roberto Firmino (BRA – TSG Hoffenheim, now Liverpool)
28 - Nemanja Matić (SRB – Chelsea)
28 - Arkadiusz Milik (POL – Ajax)
28 - Nicolás Otamendi (ARG – Valencia)
28 - Sergio Ramos (ESP – Real Madrid)
28 - Marc-André ter Stegen (GER – Barcelona)
28 - Arda Turan (TUR – Atlético Madrid, now Barcelona)
The inaugural edition in 2011 ended in an overwhelming vote for Barcelona’s Lionel Messi. In 2012, it was another Barcelona player, Andres Iniesta, who won the award. The year after, it was Franck Ribery of Bayern Munich and last year, finally, it was Crisitano Ronaldo of Real Madrid who triumphed.
Today’s event is being streamlined on uefa.com and may also be screened live, together with the Champions League draws, on several other TV Channels.