Messi, Ronaldo lead list of nominees for UEFA award

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are set to go head-tohead again after UEFA’s Best Player in Europe nominees were revealed on Monday.

Journalists from UEFA’s 55 member associations were asked for their own five choices as the best player on the continent last season.

Barcelona star Messi, who took home the award last year, will be looking for his third after also winning back in 2011 while rival Ronaldo, fresh from winning the Champions League and Euro 2016, is also in the frame. Real Madrid teammates Gareth Bale, Toni Kroos and Pepe are also included on the 10-man short-list.

Messi’s teammate Luis Suarez also makes the list having scored 40 goals as Barcelona won La Liga.

Rounding out the top 10 are Bayern Munich teammates Thomas Muller and Manuel Neuer, Juventus’ Gianluigi Buffon and Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann, who finished as top scorer at Euro 2016 with six goals.

Since the award’s inception in 2011, Messi is the only one to have lifted it twice (2011 and 2015), with Andres Iniesta (2012), Franck Ribery (2013) and Ronaldo (2014) all claiming the gong once.

The 10 nominees advanced to a second vote, which will determine the three finalists to be named on August 5. The outright winner will be announced during the 2016/17 UEFA Champions league group stage draw in Monaco on August 25.