Manchester City duo of Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne have been shortlisted alongside Lionel Messi for the 2022/23 UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award
This is after a jury composed of the coaches of the clubs which played in the group stages of the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League, together with the coaches of the men’s senior national teams of UEFA’s member Association voted these three players from the initial shortlist to battle for this award.
A few selected journalists from the European Sports Media ( ESM) also took part in the vote.
Both Haaland and De Bruyne were integral members in City’s treble winning season as they helped their side win the Premier League Champions League and FA Cup.
Furthermore, Haaland broke a lot of records in the Premier League and UEFA Champions League, with the most eye-catching being scoring the most goals in a Premier League season where he surpassed Allan Shearer and Andrew Cole’s previous best of 34 to net 38.
2022/23 UEFA Men’s Player of the Year Nominees CL performance
In the Champions League, Haaland was also exceptional as he netted 12 goals in 11 appearances to help his side win their first UCL title.
He is also currently the youngster and quickest played to net 35 Champions League goals- a feat he achieved during the 2022/23 campaign.
De Bruyen meanwhile made 10 appearances in Europe, scored two goals and made seven assists. He won four player of the match awards e route to the final.
Even though Messi had a forgetful season with Paris Saint Germain (PSG), the Inter Miami superstar has emerged as a top contender for the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award. The former FC Barcelona superstar guided Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar last year.
Messi won his second Ligue 1 title with PSG last season. The former PSG star is the first Argentinian to lift the World Cup trophy since late Diego Maradona. The Argentina captain netted seven goals in the FIFA World Cup 2022. Messi was also crowned the winner of the Golden Ball for being the best overall player at the Qatar spectacle.
The winner of the award will be announced at the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League group stage draw ceremony, which will take place on Thursday 31 August in Monaco.
