New Delhi: After Manchester City clinched their maiden Super Cup with a thumping win over Sevilla. On Thursday, Union of European Football Association (UEFA) has confirmed the top 3 nominees of 2022/23 player of the year.
UEFA player of the year top 3 nominees
Inter Miami’s new signing Lionel Messi also joined the list of top 3 players alongside Man United’s Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne. The top three candidates will then be selected by a jury of club coaches and Men’s National League coaches who have played in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA European Conference League in the 2022/23 season.
✨ UEFA Men's Player of the Year ✨
𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟮/𝟮𝟯 𝗡𝗢𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗘𝗦
🇧🇪 De Bruyne
🇦🇷 Messi
🇳🇴 Haaland🏆 #UEFAawards winners announced at the #UCLdraw, 31 August 2023 🗓️ pic.twitter.com/onxVvNMLpi
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 17, 2023
Lionel Messi’s stats this year
An icon of his generation, Messi became the first Argentinian since Diego Maradona to win the World Cup, scoring seven goals in the final and winning the Golden Ball as the best overall player.
In March, he became only the third player in history to score 100 goals in international competition. 2022/23 in numbers success World Champion, World Cup Golden Ball Winner, Ligue 1 Winner UEFA Champions League Number of appearances: 7 times Goal: 4 Assists: 4 Player of the Game Award: 1.
Why he was nominated: Leo Messi 🇦🇷
⬇️⬇️⬇️#UEFAawards https://t.co/9uC5OEOg9X
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 17, 2023
Haaland’s record this year
Along with Messi, Erling Haaland, who had a record-breaking season at Manchester City, is among the top three candidates for the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year 2022/23. The star striker capped off a goal-fest season with Pep Guardiola’s men as the former Borussia Dortmund star scored 36 goals in the English Premier League (EPL). Haaland scored 12 Champions League goals in Man City’s title campaign.
Why he was nominated: Erling Haaland 🇳🇴
⬇️⬇️⬇️#UEFAawardshttps://t.co/cmVsPZam1S
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 17, 2023
Kevin De Bruyne record this year
Man United’s midfielder and Haaland’s teammate Kevin De Brunye is also nominated for the prestigious award. The 32-year-old played a key role in helping Man City secure three major titles last season. De Bruyne had the most assists (16) in the English Premier League, leading Man City to their first Champions League win and a historic domestic double. Last season, De Bruyne scored two goals and provided 7 assists in 10 Champions League games.
Why he was nominated: Kevin De Bruyne 🇧🇪
⬇️⬇️⬇️#UEFAawardshttps://t.co/6XbsdjQMqD
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 17, 2023
Other nominees
Other notable players who narrowly made it to the final list include Barcelona’s Ilkay Gundogan, Manchester City’s Rodri and Kylian Mbappe today.
