'Best Player in Europe' 10-man shortlist revealed
Four players from Real Madrid and two from Barcelona make UEFA's list. The shock exclusion though is Neymar, who finished 19th overall.
UEFA announced on Monday its ten-man shortlist for its 2015/16 Best Player in Europe Award. In deciding the list, journalists from UEFA's 55 member associations voted for their five most highly-rated players, with the first receiving five points, the second four and so on.
Seven of the players who make up this years list play in La Liga, two come from the Bundesliga, and one plies his trade in Italy. From Spain, four play at Real Madrid, those being Bale, Cristiano, Kroos and Pepe. Barcelona have two representatives in Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, however there was no place for Neymar in the top-ten (he came 19th on the overall list).
Antoine Griezmann is the sole candidate from Atletico Madrid. Thomas Müller, Manuel Neuer (both Bayern Muncih) and Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus) make up ten man shortlist.
The jury will now vote for their overall winner, which will be announced during the 2016/17 UEFA Champions League group stage draw in Monaco on 25 August. Previous winners of the award include Lionel Messi (2015) Andrés Iniesta (2012), Franck Ribéry (2013) and Cristiano Ronaldo (2014).
UEFA top ten players 2016
Gareth Bale (Real Madrid & Wales)
Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus & Italy)
Antoine Griezmann (Atlético Madrid & France)
Toni Kroos (Real Madrid & Germany)
Lionel Messi (Barcelona & Argentina)
Thomas Müller (Bayern München & Germany)
Manuel Neuer (Bayern München & Germany)
Pepe (Real Madrid & Portugal)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid & Portugal)
Luis Suárez (Barcelona & Uruguay)
37 players in total received votes in the initial poll; these are the rest in the order they were voted.
11 Riyad Mahrez (Leicester & Algeria)
12 Jamie Vardy (Leicester & England)
13 Dimitri Payet (West Ham & France)
14 Jérôme Boateng (Bayern München & Germany)
15 Arturo Vidal (Bayern München & Chile)
16 Luka Modrić (Real Madrid & Croatia)
17 N'Golo Kanté (Leicester & France)
18 Zlatan Ibrahimović (Paris Saint-Germain/Manchester United & Sweden)
19= Eden Hazard (Chelsea & Belgium)
19= Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona & Spain)
19= Neymar (Barcelona & Brazil)
19= Renato Sanches (Benfica/Bayern München & Portugal)
23 Robert Lewandowski (Bayern München & Poland)
24 Gonzalo Higuaín (Napoli & Argentina)
25= Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus & Italy)
25= Diego Godin (Atlético Madrid & Uruguay)
25= Will Grigg (Wigan & Northern Ireland)
25= Hugo Lloris (Tottenham & France)
25= Paul Pogba (Juventus & France)
30= Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham & Belgium)
30= Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund & Gabon)
30= Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City & Belgium)
30= Kevin Gameiro (Sevilla & France)
30= Grzegorz Krychowiak (Sevilla/Paris Saint-Germain & Poland)
30= Blaise Matuidi (Paris Saint-Germain & France)
30= Georges-Kévin N'Koudou (Marseille & France)
30= Jan Oblak (Atlético Madrid & Slovenia)