Messi, Ronaldo and Bale lead shortlist for UEFA award

Ronaldo finished as the top scorer in the 2012-13 Champions League. (Getty Images)

The ten-man shortlist for the UEFA Best Player in Europe for the 2012-13 season was released on Tuesday.

English Premier League top scorer Robin Van Persie along with PFA double award winner Gareth Bale feature on the list. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are the two players from La Liga.

Not surprisingly five players from the Bundesliga have been shortlisted for the coveted award. Among the five, four are from the German treble winning club Bayern Munich. Thomas Mueller, Franck Ribery, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Arjen Robben were all part of the team that won the 2012-13 Champions League.

Borussia Dortmund hit-man Robert Lewandowski, who had a spectacular Champions League campaign, is the fifth player from the Bundesliga on the list.

The players were selected by a panel of journalists from UEFA member countries and the award will be presented on August 29 at the Champions League group-stage draw in Monaco.

Andres Iniesta, who won the award in 2012, was not selected this time around. Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was the only player selected from Ligue 1. There were no players from any of Serie A sides on the list.

Full Shortlist:

Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Gareth Bale (Tottenham Hotspur), Robin van Persie (Manchester United FC), Thomas Muller, Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben, Bastian Schweinsteiger (all Bayern Munich), Robert Lewandowski (Borussia Dortmund), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Paris Saint-Germain).