UEFA unveiled the names of the three finalists for its 2022-2023 player of the season award on Thursday.
Current Inter Miami attacker Lionel Messi is joined by Manchester City players Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland.
The winner will be known on August 31.
One of these three names will succeed Karim Benzema who clinched the award last year.
This Thursday, UEFA announced the names of the three finalists for its best player award for the 2022-2023 season : Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi.
The body will announce the winner during a ceremony, on the sidelines of the draw for the Champions League group stage, on August 31.
As a reminder, the players who are to evolve in an European club are chosen “on the basis of their performances during the 2022/23 season at club and national team level.”
Winner of the World Cup with Argentina, Lionel Messi finds himself in the trio of finalists along with two players from Manchester City.
Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne contributed greatly to the Premier League-FA Cup-Champions League treble for their team.
Lionel Messi inaugurated the list of winners of this trophy in 2011 and won it for the second time in 2015. He also won it in another version in 2009.
For now, Cristiano Ronaldo is the player who has won this award the most times , three times. Kevin De Bruyne remains on three consecutive podiums and Erling Haaland is among the finalists for the first time.
European nations’ coaches and coaches who took part in European competitions last season chose the three names from a list put forward by UEFA.
A group of journalists was also on the jury. Top scorer of the last World Cup, Kylian Mbappé comes in sixth position behind Ilkay Gündogan and Rodri.
On the coaching side, Pep Guardiola will act as the big favorite.
The Spanish coach was appointed along with Simone Inzaghi (Inter), finalist of the last season in the Champions League, and Luciano Spalletti (Naples) who won Serie A with Naples.
Didier Deschamps comes in eighth position and Franck Haise in tenth.
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