Cristiano Ronaldo Named Among Final 3 for UEFA Best Player in Europe 2015-16
Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo has been nominated in the final three for UEFA's Best Player in Europe for last season alongside team-mate Gareth Bale and Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann, but there is no room for Lionel Messi.
UEFA revealed the trio as their top-three contenders on Friday, with Messi finishing fifth in the voting behind them and Barcelona team-mate Luis Suarez. Votes were cast by journalists from each of the European governing body's 55 member associations.
The winner is, of course, guaranteed to come from La Liga:
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Spain's top flight has produced the winner of the award every year since 2011, save for Franck Ribery's win in 2013, with Ronaldo previously picking up the gong along with Andres Iniesta and Messi twice.
The UEFA Champions League's official Twitter account shared snippets of the trio's highlights for club and country last season:
Bale and Ronaldo lifted the trophy ahead of Griezmann as Real beat Atletico in the final, and the Frenchman once again missed out with France despite Ronaldo being taken off injured early in the European Championship showpiece.
Meanwhile, Bale's performances at Euro 2016 helped Wales enjoy a remarkable progression to the semi-finals in what was their first major international tournament since 1958.
Suarez and Messi fired Barca to the league title and the Copa del Rey but spent their summers playing in the Copa America Centenario, enduring heartbreak with Uruguay and Argentina, respectively.
Here's a look at how the trio's club numbers compared with the Catalan duo:
| Apps (all comps) | 48 | 31 | 54 | 49 | 53 |
| Goals | 51 | 19 | 32 | 41 | 59 |
| Assists | 15 | 15 | 7 | 26 | 26 |
All five had excellent campaigns, as did the remainder of the top 10 nominees, which included the likes of Gianluigi Buffon and Toni Kroos.
The winner will be revealed on August 25 during the draw for the UEFA Champions League group stage. Following his European success for both club and country, Ronaldo will be the man to beat.
