On August 12, UEFA announced the top three nominees for the 2021/22 UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award. Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema, Real Madrid Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne are the top three nominees who have been shortlisted for the 2021/22 UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award. The award will be given to one of the above mentioned players. The name of the winner will be revealed during the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League group stage draw ceremony in Istanbul on Thursday 25 August. The UEFA Men’s Player of the Year is awarded to an individual among the players in Europe, irrespective of nationality, on the basis of their performances over the whole season in all competitions – both domestically and internationally – at either club or national team level.
✨ NOMINEES: UEFA Men’s Player of the Year 2021/22 ✨
?? Karim Benzema
?? Thibaut Courtois
?? Kevin De Bruyne?️ #UEFAawards winners announced at the #UCLdraw, 25 August 2022 ? pic.twitter.com/A1F3ndHIbr
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 12, 2022
UEFA Men’s Player of the Year nominees
Karim Benzema (Real Madrid & France)
The French striker won the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League Player of the Season award after leading Real Madrid to the glory of Champions League. The club won a record 14th European title. It was Benzema’s fifth UCL title since he joined from Lyon in 2009. He was the top scorer of the tournament with 15 goals.
Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid & Belgium)
The Belgian goalkeeper won the Player of the Match award in the Champions League final. He made a record nine saves against Liverpool in the UCL final.
Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City & Belgium)
The Belgian midfielder has made to the top three for the third season in a row. He also won the Premier League Player of the Season award after leading City to another domestic title. It was his fourth during his seven seasons at the club. City lost to Real Madrid in the semi-final stage of UCL.
The rest of the top 15 players
4 Robert Lewandowski (Bayern, now Barcelona & Poland) – 54 points
5 Luka Modrić (Real Madrid & Croatia) – 52 points
6 Sadio Mané (Liverpool, now Bayern & Senegal) – 51 points
7 Mohamed Salah (Liverpool & Egypt) – 46 points
8 Kylian Mbappé (Paris & France) – 25 points
9 Vinícius Junior (Real Madrid & Brazil) – 21 points
10 Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool & Netherlands) – 19 points
11 Bernardo Silva (Manchester City & Portugal) – 7 points
12 Filip Kostić (Eintracht Frankfurt & Serbia) – 7 points
13 Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma & Italy) – 5 points
14 Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool & England) – 2 points
15 Fabinho (Liverpool & Brazil) – 1 point
