De Bruyne and Haaland led Manchester City to triumph in the Champions League and the English league, which their team dominated for the third time in a row. The Norwegian striker scored 52 competitive goals in the first season after his transfer from Dortmund. In the Premier League, Haaland scored 36 goals and was its top scorer. Belgian midfielder De Bruyne scored ten goals in 49 competitive matches.
Messi achieved the greatest success last year with the national team, with which he won the World Cup in Qatar. With PSG, he defended the French league title, which he helped with 16 goals in 32 games. He topped the poll in 2011, when UEFA announced it for the first time, and again four years later. With a third victory, he would equal the record of Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo.
✨ UEFA Men’s Player of the Year ✨
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— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 17, 2023
Last year, Frenchman Karim Benzema won, but this year he was not even among the 11 footballers who received a vote from coaches whose teams played in the main stages of European cups.
The Spaniard Josep Guardiola from Manchester City and the Italians Simone Inzaghi from Inter Milan and Luciano Spalletti from Napoli are nominated for the best coach. Neither of them has won the poll yet. Italian Carlo Ancelotti from Real Madrid won last year’s third season.
