Messi, Ronaldo snubbed as Lewandowski, De Bruyne vie for UEFA Award

 

Kevin De Bruyne, Robert Lewandowski and Manuel Neuer have been short-listed for the UEFA men’s Player of the Year award.

In an announcement Wednesday, Europe’s football governing body left out superstar duo of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for the first time in 10 years.

Lewandowski guided Bayern Munich to their sixth Champions League title, finishing as the competition’s top scorer with 15 goals.

The talented Polish striker netted 55 goals in 47 games in all competitions as Bayern join Barcelona as the only sides with two trebles.

Neuer, also part of Bayern’s treble-winning squad, kept six clean sheets in the Champions League and missed just one game the entire season.

City playmaker De Bruyne provided a record-equalling 20 assists in the Premier League last season, the highest in Europe.

Bayern’s Hans-Dieter Flick, Liverpool’s Juergen Klopp and RB Leipzig’s Julian Nagelsmann were nominated for the Men’s Coach of the Year award.

The awards will be presented at the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League group stage draw ceremony on Oct. 1.