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The 'UEFA Men's Player of the Year' award is one of the most prestigious individual awards a footballer playing in Europe can ever win. This distinguished accolade is awarded to the best men's player from the previous season, for both club and international competitions.
The award replaced the previously presented 'UEFA Club Footballer of the Year' award in 2011.
The majority of winners of this personal honor have won the UEFA Champions League in the prior season, except for the 2011-12 season. Andres Iniesta made an exception on this list, winning the award without a Champions League medal.
The current holder of the award is Chelsea and Italy midfield metronone Jorginho, while Cristiano Ronaldo has won the award three times, the most by any player.
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On that note, let us take a look at the top five players who have won the UEFA Player of the Year Award:
#5 Virgil van Dijk
The only defender on this list, Virgil van Dijk, became the first ever player in his position to win the UEFA Player of the Year award in 2019. After finishing runner-up in the 2018 Champions League final, the Dutchman buried the embarrassment of the previous season, winning the trophy with Liverpool the following year.
The Merseyside club kept a clean-sheet in the 2019 Champions League final against Tottenham Hotspur, winning by two goals. Van Dijk was awarded the 'Player of the Match' in the game. The former Southampton defender won the Player of the Year award with 305 points, surpassing Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who came second and third respectively.
#4 Luka Modric
After winning his third consecutive Champions League with Real Madrid, Luka Modric was awarded the 2017-18 'UEFA Men's Player of the Year' award. The Croatian international was regarded as the best player at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where he led his nation to a surprise runner-up finish. He was awarded the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball for his heroics.
Modric moreover added 'The Best FIFA Men's Player of the Year' and the prestigious Ballon d'Or to his personal tally that season. His 2018 Ballon d'Or triumph ended the decade-long duopoly of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi for the biggest individual prize in football.
#3 Robert Lewandowski
Often labeled the best of the rest, Robert Lewandowski finally got his hands over the 'UEFA Player of the Year' award in 2020. The Polish international ended the season as FC Bayern Munich's top scorer in all competitions with 55 goals. He won the treble that season with the Bavarians and later went on to complete the historic sextuple in 2021.
Lewandowski further won 'The Best FIFA Men's Player of the Year' award in a record-breaking 2019-20 season. The former Borussia Dortmund striker was also the number one favorite to win the Ballon d'Or in 2020. Unfortunately, the ceremony was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
#2 Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi is the second most successful footballer to win the award, winning the prize twice. The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner is second only to Cristiano Ronaldo in the list of scoring the most goals in the UEFA Champions League.
The Argentine won the first edition of the award, which was inaugurated in the 2010-11 season. In addition to being Barcelona's top scorer in all competitions that season, he won his fifth La Liga title and third Champions League trophy. His next triumph came in the 2014-15 season, where he and the Catalan club won their second treble after the 2008-09 season.
Messi also holds the record for the most second-place finishes in the 'UEFA Player of the Year' award, coming in second position four times.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo, the most successful footballer in the history of UEFA club competitions, has won the 'Player of the Year' award a record three times. The Portuguese sensation is also the only player to win the prize twice in a row in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. He also holds the record for the most goals in UEFA Champions League history, scoring 140 goals in 182 appearances.
The five-time Champions League winner won his first award in the 2013-14 season after ending Real Madrid's 12-year wait for their La Decima. His second award came after arguably the most memorable season of his career, winning the Champions League and Euro 2016 with Portugal.
The Manchester United forward won his final award in the 2016-17 season. After winning the league and European double playing with Real Madrid, he eclipsed Lionel Messi and Gianluigi Buffon by accumulating a staggering 482 points.
