By Amosu Adeboye
Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has been shortlisted alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for the men’s UEFA Player of the Year award.
The talismanic centre-back helped guide the Reds to European Cup glory, keeping a clean sheet as Jurgen Klopp’s men defeated Tottenham 2-0 in Madrid.
The winner wil be announced on August 29 during the Champions League draw in Monaco.
Ronaldo
Messi, the top scorer in the Champions League, won the European Golden Shoe as he picked up his tenth La Liga title at Camp Nou.
Ronaldo also claimed domestic glory, helping Juventus lift the Serie A title during his maiden season in Italy.
The nominees were shortlisted having been selected by a jury consisting of the 80 coaches who competed in last season’s Champions League and Europa League, as well as 55 journalists.
Jury members chose their top trio, with the first player receiving five points, the second three and the third one.
Alisson Becker, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah claimed fourth, fifth and sixth place respectively.
Chelsea’s Eden Hazard was seventh, Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong claimed eighth and ninth position after a stunning season as Ajax reached the semi-finals, while Raheem Sterling snuck into the top ten.
England’s Lucy Bronze has been nominated for the Women’s Player of the Year award alongside Lyon team-mates Ada Hegerberg and Amandine Henry.
