UEFA named three finalists in the Man of the Year voting: Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, and Kevin De Bruyne.
An initial shortlist was drawn up by UEFA’s study group and then presented to every manager of a club that participated in the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League or Conference League, as well as national team managers of UEFA member countries.
A selected group of journalists was also invited to vote.
At the top of the pile were Messi, Haaland and De Bruyne, who will battle it out for the trophy on August 31.
Of the trio, Messi is the only player to have won the award previously, in 2011 and 2015. Should he win here, he would equal Cristiano Ronaldo’s record three victories.
Other players to receive votes
4. Ilkay Gundogan (Germany & Manchester City, now at Barcelona)
5. Rodri (Spain & Manchester City)
6. Kylian Mbappe (France & Paris Saint-Germain)
7. Luka Modric (Croatia & Real Madrid)
8. Marcelo Brozovic (Croatia & Inter, now at Al Nassr)
9. Declan Rice (England & West Ham, now at Arsenal)
10. Alexis Mac Allister (Argentina & Brighton, now at Liverpool)
11. Jesus Navas (Spain & Sevilla)