2019 UEFA Awards: Top 5 contenders for Men's Player of the Year 

#3 Cristiano Ronaldo - Forward (Juventus)

Ronaldo lifted the UEFA Nations League with Portugal

With three UEFA Best Men's Player awards, Cristiano Ronaldo is the highest recipient of the accolade, while he is also the only player in history to have finished in the top three of each award since they were introduced in 2011.

Even though the 2018/2019 season can be classified as somewhat of a failure for the Portuguese icon as he did not inspire Juventus to the Champions League as expected, it was not for want of trying by the 34-year-old.

He was the inspiration behind the Bianconerri going as far as they did; being the only player to score in the knockout rounds of the competition including the memorable hat-trick against Atletico Madrid in the round-of-16 to complete an improbable comeback.

He rose from his continental disappointment at club level to help his nation to the first ever Nations League trophy, scoring a hat-trick in the semifinal victory over Switzerland to fire his country to the final in front of their own fans.

Ronaldo's superhuman performances over the years mean that he is a perennial contender for individual honors and his displays last season firmly puts him in the running to extend his record breaking UEFA Best Player wins.