The top three candidates for the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award for 2021–2022 are Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois, and Karim Benzema.
The winner will be announced, along with the UEFA Men’s Coach of the Year, Women’s Player, and Coach of the Year, on Thursday, August 25, in Istanbul, during the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League group stage draw.
Nominees for the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year (in alphabetical order)
Benzema, Karim (Real Madrid & France)
The French striker led Real Madrid to a record 14th European championship and his fifth since joining from Lyon in 2009, earning him the accolade of UEFA Champions League Player of the Season for the 2021–2022 season. His final goal total of 15 put him at the top of the competition scoring statistics.
Théophile Courtois (Real Madrid & Belgium)
The goalie, who won the Spanish Liga with Real Madrid, was named Player of the Match in the Champions League final after stopping Liverpool in Paris with several incredible saves, most notably from Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah.
De Bruyne, Kevin (Manchester City & Belgium)
For the third consecutive season, the midfield schemer finishes in the top three. He led City to a fourth domestic championship in his seven seasons at the club, earning him the honor of Premier League Player of the Season.
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
What is the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award?
Players throughout Europe, of any nationality, were evaluated for this award based on their performances during the entire season in all competitions—both home and abroad—at the club or national team level.
How were the players shortlisted?
UEFA’s technical study panel chose a preliminary shortlist of 15 players.
The following individuals made up the jury that chose the top three nominees:
• The teams that took part in the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, and UEFA Europa Conference League group stages in 2021–2022 • A group of journalists chosen by the European Sports Media (ESM)
The top three players were chosen by the jury, with the top player earning five points, the second three, and the third one. The right to vote for members of one’s own team was denied coaches.
The other award nominees
Men’s Coach of the Year: Carlo Ancelotti, Josep Guardiola, Jürgen Klopp
