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UEFA has announced its nominees for Best Forward, Midfielder, Defender and Goalkeeper. Marc Ander ter-Stegen, Hugo Lloris, and Alisson Becker were named as nominees for UEFA Best Goalkeeper of the Year. Frenkie de Jong, Christian Eriksen, and Jordan Henderson comprise the list of midfielders. Virgil Van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Matthijs de Ligt, we shortlisted for Defender of the Year. Finally, Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, and Lionel Messi were named as contenders for UEFA Forward of the Year.
In addition to the shortlist presented, it is announced on UEFA's official site that the shortlist for UEFA Men's Player of the Year and Women's Player of the Year will be announced two weeks before the UCL Group Stage draw, which will take place in Monaco, on Thursday, August 29th. All awards will be presented on the same day as that of the group stage draw.
Last year, Luka Modric won the UEFA Men's Player of the Year award ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah. Let us take a look at the top 3 contenders for UEFA Men's Player of the Year 2018-19.
#3 Alisson Becker
Alisson Becker has been a brilliant signing for Liverpool. He was arguably the best goalkeeper in three competitions last season - Copa America, UEFA Champions League, and the Premier League. He won the Golden Glove in these three competitions, as well.
Alisson started all 13 Champions League games for Liverpool and kept 6 clean sheets across the tournament, including the final against Tottenham Hotspur and the second leg of the semi-final against Barcelona. His save percentage stood at a high 79% while he made 3.5 saves per game. He also averaged 21 accurate passes per game at 77%.
In the final against Tottenham, the Brazilian stepped up to the plate, making 8 saves in total, four of which were from inside the box. He weathered the storm and allowed Liverpool to play a low-intensity game, acted as the 11th outfield player as his 44 touches suggested, and facilitated Jurgen Klopp's men to execute the gameplan and seal the deal in the dying minutes.
The 26-year-old has been worth every single penny that Liverpool paid for his services. He has more than justified his price tag and he has made a strong case for his contention as the Best Player, rather than just the Best Goalkeeper.
Alisson stands a high chance of being among the nominees for UEFA Men's Player of the Year but the same cannot be said for him winning it, simply due to the competition he faces.
#2 Virgil Van Dijk
An absolute warrior in the heart of their defence, Virgil van Dijk was colossal for Liverpool last season. The Dutchman's inclusion has given Liverpool's defence the solidity and stability that they were yearning for in 2017/18. The defensive stats for Liverpool improved heavily.
No player including Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo could dribble past van Dijk for a streak of 65 games. The streak was recently broken by Gabriel Jesus in the FA Community Shield.
Van Dijk is a sharp player and hardly dives into tackles. He hardly makes tackles and his count for tackle per game was a measly 0.7 in UCL last season. He wins 2/3 tackles that he actually makes. Also, his interception count stood at 0.8 per game.
In terms of duels, he averages 4.8 duels per game out of which he won about 64%, with over 3 being aerial duels. Not only defending, Van Dijk scored away at Bayern Munich and also delivered the lobbed ball over the infield to Mane for the first goal.
Having already won the PFA Player of the Season award and being in the FIFA The Best shortlist, Van Dijk is a heavy favourite to win UEFA Men's Player of the Season too.
#1 Lionel Messi
The top scorer and hands down the best forward in Champions League this season. Lionel Messi finished the 18/19 UCL campaign winning the Player of the Week award on 5 different occasions. He was named Player of the Week for his performances against PSV (home and away), Tottenham Hotspur (away), Liverpool (home), and Manchester United (home). His freekick goal against Liverpool was also voted as Goal of the Season by fans.
In addition to the 12 goals, Messi also made 3 assists and created 9 big chances. His accurate passes in opposition half stood at 42 (82%) and averaged 3.4 (79%) accurate long balls. He also completed 3.5 dribbles per game at 61% success rate, while winning 6.6 duels at 52%.
Apart from just stats, Messi's performance across the tournament was consistent and he was involved in 15 out of the 22 goals scored in the games that he played. That is a staggering 68% involvement in goals. The fact that Barcelona surrendered a 3 goal lead against Liverpool overshadows his consistency across the tournament. Individually, he was as brilliant as ever, and he scored against the famed Liverpool defence consisting of van Dijk and Alisson twice at Camp Nou.
Messi is at a disadvantage due to a semi-final finish but individually, he was as good as if not better than anyone out there.
