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Eyebrows were raised when the final three nominees for the UEFA Player of the Year were announced. Luka Modric (Real Madrid / Croatia), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid / Portugal) and Mohamed Salah (Liverpool / Egypt) were named and it took a while for the furore to die down.
This is an award that is not based on fan votes like FIFA's 'The Best' awards. While those are effectively popularity contests, the UEFA award has a different set of people judging the players.
The jury is formed of 80 coaches who managed clubs in the Champions League and Europa League last season. Apart from the coaches, 55 journalists from various UEFA member associations are also a part of the jury.
According to UEFA: "Players are judged on their performances in all competitions – domestic, continental, and international."
Who will win? That is up for debate considering the contrasting fortunes of the final three but two-time winner Ronaldo remains the favourite after finishing as the Champions League's top goal scorer yet again to win his fifth title.
The problem with such awards is that only three players make the final shortlist and a number of others are left behind in the cold, destined to watch their rivals on television. They may even have no choice but to switch on the TV because the award will be presented on the same day as the Champions League group stage draw.
So who all missed out but deserved to get nominated for UEFA Player of the Year?
#5 Eden Hazard (Chelsea / Belgium)
With the weight of expectations of leading Belgium's Golden Generation at the World Cup, Eden Hazard did splendidly by leading them to a third-place finish.
Belgium have come a long way from the tag of 'Dark Horses' to favourites in the past few years. And Hazard has played his part in their rise as a serious contender for trophies in international tournaments.
The Chelsea forward was virtually unplayable in Russia and completed 40 successful dribbles at 6.7 per game. Nobody else was even as good on the ball as he was across the month-long extravaganza.
Hazard scored three goals in Russia as the Red Devils finished third. And the Belgian even picked up the Silver Ball award (finishing second to Croatia's Luka Modric).
With Chelsea, he sadly did not have much success, winning just the FA Cup. But he still had 17 goals - including the winner in the FA Cup final to beat Manchester United 1-0.
#4 Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City / Belgium)
If there was one person who personified Pep Guardiola's winning mentality at Manchester City, it was Kevin De Bruyne. When in doubt, give him the ball and allow him to work his magic.
"Kevin is one of the most talented players... He helps us to be a better club, a better institution for the future. Because that is what we want to do." - Pep Guardiola
The Belgian midfielder was a key cog in City's midfield at a time when David Silva was in and out of the squad due to personal problems (his son was born very premature and he had to travel between Valencia and Manchester a number of times during the season).
Playing as a no.8 rather than a no.10, De Bruyne scored 8 league goals (many of them crucial) but also had 16 assists! It was why City finished the league with a record 100 points with 32 wins and 106 goals.
At the World Cup, he played in different positions for Belgium and had a goal (against Brazil) and two assists. Sadly, he was overshadowed by Mohamed Salah in the Premier League (who also knocked City out of the Champions League) and Belgium's inability to reach the final saw him lose out on a top three nomination.
#3 Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid / France)
Antoine Griezmann actually finished fourth in the UEFA Player of the Year shortlist. Clearly even winning a World Cup trophy wasn't enough to give him a realistic chance of winning the award.
With 4 goals and 2 assists at the tournament in Russia, Griezmann was crucial to Les Bleus repeating their success from 1998 with a 4-2 win over Croatia in the final.
Luka Modric, who lost to France in that thrilling final, has been nominated among the top three - more so because of his Champions League success and the Golden Ball award for the Best Player at the World Cup.
And Griezmann did not have as much success with Atletico Madrid. They dropped down to the Europa League and won that with ease with the only tough opponents being in the form of Arsenal.
Atletico also managed to finish second in LaLiga but there was no way any other club was going to catch up with Barcelona.
#2 Lionel Messi (Barcelona / Argentina)
When it came to LaLiga, there was clearly no better player in the league. Lionel Messi simply dominated the Spanish top flight like it was child's play.
Picture this; he led the stats in all of the following. 33 goals (1st), 12 assists (1st), 84 chances created (1st), 174 successful dribbles (1st). What made him so indispensable to the club was the fact that they struggled when he was rested.
Messi had to rescue the Catalan side time and again and almost helped them win the league unbeaten. 38 games - 28 wins, 9 draws, and just a single loss. He took home the European Golden Shot too for his 34 league goals.
But the main reason he isn't among the top three is due to Barcelona's poor form in the Champions League and their premature exit in the quarter-finals. Argentina didn't fare too well either at the World Cup, with Messi and co dumped out by France in the Round of 16.
This isn't the first time Messi has missed out on the top three. It was the case in 2015/16 and 2013/14 too - incidentally two years where Barcelona struggled in Europe.
#1 Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain / France)
Kylian Mbappe was supposed to be a star of the future. After his fantastic season with Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain decided to invest a nine-figure sum on him and bring him to the capital club.
Everyone knew he had potential. Nobody knew he would become so successful so quickly.
"Do not forget that Kylian is only 19 years old. We do not realise what that means at this level. You need to take a step back to understand it. It is exceptional what he has achieved.
"He is part of the group of five or six top players that will soon dominate the world." - Arsene Wenger
Nobody will question the former Arsenal manager after having seen Mbappe at the World Cup. He became the youngest player to score in a World Cup final since the great Pele himself.
The brace against Argentina announced him on the international stage and the goal in the final only cemented his place among the world's elite and it is frightening to think what he is capable of doing in the years to come.
