European football's governing body, UEFA, on Friday released the shortlist for 2021/22 Men's Player of the Year award.
Karim Benzema, Thibaut Courtois and Kevin De Bruyne are the top three nominees for the 2021/22 UEFA Men's Player of the Year award.
The winner will be named – along with the UEFA Men's Coach of the Year and Women's Player and Coach of the Year – during the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League group stage draw ceremony in Istanbul on Thursday 25 August.
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UEFA Men's Player of the Year nominees
Karim Benzema (Real Madrid & France)
The French striker was named 2021/22 UEFA Champions League Player of the Season after driving Real Madrid on to a record 14th European title, and his fifth since he joined from Lyon in 2009. His final tally of 15 goals earned him top spot in the competition scoring charts .
Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid & Belgium)
The goalkeeper, who won the Spanish Liga with Madrid, was the Player of the Match in the Champions League final after making several stunning saves to deny Liverpool in Paris, most notably from Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah.
Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City & Belgium)
The midfield schemer makes the top three for the third season in a row. He was named as the Premier League Player of the Season after inspiring City to another domestic title, his fourth during his seven seasons at the club.
What is the UEFA Men's Player of the Year award?
For this award, players in Europe, irrespective of nationality, have been judged in regard to their performances over the whole season in all competitions – both domestically and internationally – at either club or national team level.