The Malta Independent’s Sports Editor, Henry Brincat, will be representing Malta at today’s second edition of the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award ceremony in Monaco.

UEFA has again invited 53 members of the press from around Europe – one from every member association – to vote for the Best Player of season 2011/2012.

The award was created in partnership with European Sports Media. It recognises the best player, irrespective of his nationality, playing for a club within the territory of a UEFA member association during the previous season.

A preliminary voting session has already been made following which, the 53 members of the jury selected Lionel Messi and his Barcelona team-mate Andres Iniesta as well as Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo as the three finalists.

The award is based on an initiative of the UEFA President, Michel Platini, aimed at reviving the spirit of the old European Footballer of the Year award.

Players were judged for their performance during the 2011/12 season in all competitions, both domestically and internationally, at either club or national team level.

The jury is composed of 53 sports journalists representing each of the UEFA member national associations. Firstly, each journalist provided a list of three best ranked players from one to three, the first one receiving five points, the second three points and the third one point.

The three players who received the most aggregate points in the first round of voting – Iniesta, Messi and Ronaldo – were shortlisted for the final round of voting today. The journalists will now be voting live, via an electronic voting system, during a ceremony at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, just before the UEFA Champions League group stage draw, to determine the winner among the three nominees.

Positions four to ten are already known after the first voting round.

They finished as follows:

4. Andrea Pirlo (Juventus)  90 points

5. Xavi (Barcelona) 57

6. Iker Casillas (Real Madrid ) 53

7. Didier Drogba (Chelsea) 31

8. Petr Cech (Chelsea) 14

8. Radamel Falcao (Atletico Madrid) 14

10 Mesut Ozil (Real Madrid) 10

Last year’s inaugural edition ended in an overwhelming vote for Barcelona’s Lionel Messi.