MOHAMED SALAH, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric will battle it out for the Uefa Men’s Player of the Year award.
Ronaldo, who joined Juventus from Real Madrid this summer, scored 15 goals in 13 Champions League appearances as Los Blancos won the trophy, beating Salah’s Liverpool in the final. Ronaldo also netted 26 La Liga goals in 27 games, and hit two in two in the Club World Cup.
Salah was injured early in the final, but he was integral to the Reds’ run to the decider, scoring 11 goals in 15 appearances, including in the play-offs. In total, the Egypt international scored 44 goals in all competitions.
The Reds star is the first Premier League player to make the top three of the award since it was first handed out in 2010-11, while he is also the first African player to do so.
Modric did not grab as many headlines in Europe’s premier club competition, but he was vital to Real’s performance in the final, pulling the strings as Real won 3-1.
The winner will be announced during the Champions League group stage draw on 30 August.
The remaining top 10 has already been decided, with Antoine Griezmann narrowly missing out on the top three. Lionel Messi — a two-time winner of the award — finished fifth, while Paris Saint-Germain wonderkid Kylian Mbappe came in sixth.
Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne is seventh, with Real’s Raphael Varane eighth and Chelsea’s Eden Hazard ninth. Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos rounds out the top 10.
Previous winners of the award are Messi, Andres Iniesta, Franck Ribery and Ronaldo. The Portuguese has won the award for the last two seasons, and a record three times in total having never failed to finish inside the top three positions.
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
