Messi, Ronaldo and Ribery nominees for best of 2013

Messi, Ribéry and Cristiano Ronaldo are the three finalists for the 2012/2013 UEFA Best Player in Europe award.

Barcelona's Argentinian attacker, Bayern Munich's French winger and the Portuguese Real Madrid forward were chosen in a survey conducted among UEFA member federation journalists. The winner will be announced after a live vote in Monaco during the draw for the group stages of the 2013/14 Champions League on Thursday 29th August.

The journalists will participate in a live vote in Monaco, by means of an electronic system in order to select their best player from the shortlist. The voters handed in a list of their five best players, with the first receiving five points, the second four and so on. UEFA then came up with the top ten, based on these lists. The rankings from fourth position to tenth read as follows:

4 Robert Lewandowski (POL) - Borussia Dortmund (80 points)
5 Arjen Robben (HOL) - FC Bayern München (55)
6 Thomas Müller (GER) - FC Bayern München (51)
7 Gareth Bale (WAL) - Tottenham Hotspur FC (48)
8 Bastian Schweinsteiger (GER) - FC Bayern München (34)
9 ZlatanIbrahimovi? (SWE) - Paris Saint-Germain FC (27)
10 Robin van Persie (HOL) - Manchester United FC (24)

This season marks the third edition of the UEFA Best Player in Europe award, which was started by UEFA president Michel Platini in association with European Sports Media (ESM). Andrés Iniesta clinched the award in 2011/12 after Messi had won the first edition in 2010/11.


/Marca/