UEFA had released a 26
member shortlist of Europe’s top footballers for the prestigious ‘UEFA Best
Player in Europe Award’ on July 9. Bundesliga players undoubtedly dominated the
list along expected lines following their dominance in the UEFA Champions
league 2012/13, culminating in the final at Wembley. Not surprisingly, the list
is flooded with strikers and attackers, undermining the efforts of reliable
defensive talents.
Here is an overview of the
league-wise split of the shortlisted players. Many unspoken talents from
Germany are now in the spotlight and football is continuing to prove the fact
that talent will never be left unrewarded. This year’s list of best players in
Europe pays a tribute to the quality and spirit of German football.
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Gareth Bale
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Tottenham
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Franck Ribery
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FC Bayern München
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Robin Van Persie
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Manchester United FC
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ArjenRobben
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FC Bayern München
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BransilavInvanovic
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Chelsea
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Bastian Schweinsteiger
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FC Bayern München
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EdinDzeko
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Manchester City
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Thomas Muller
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FC Bayern München
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RadamelFalcao
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Atlético de Madrid
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Manuel Neuer
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FC Bayern München
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Xavi Hernandez
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FC Barcelona
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Dante
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FC Bayern München
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Lionel Messi
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FC Barcelona
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Mario Mandzukic
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FC Bayern München
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Andres Iniesta
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FC Barcelona
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Philip Lahm
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FC Bayern München
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Cristiano Ronaldo
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Real Madrid CF
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Javi Martinez
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FC Bayern München
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Andrea Pirlo
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Juventus
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Robert Lewandowski
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Borussia Dortmund
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Arturo Vidal
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Juventus
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IIkayGundogan
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Borussia Dortmund
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EdinsonCavani
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SSC Napoli
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Mario Gotze
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Borussia Dortmund
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ZlatanIbrahimovic
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Paris Saint-Germain FC
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Oscar Cardozo
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SL Benfica
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On July 9, a second round
of shortlisting was done and a new 10 member list was released. The list is one
with world-class impactful players including 6 wingers, 3 strikers and 1
central midifielder. No major surprises, except that unlike the past years,
there are no Spanish internationals included in the shortlist of 10 stars who
could pocket the much coveted award. Last year, the award went to Andres
Iniesta. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo took the runners-up positions, with
the same number of votes. This year, owing to the emergence of Germany as a
footballing superpower, we can clearly see an upsurge in the number of german
league players in the European best player shortlist.
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Andres Iniesta – 2012 UEFA Best player of Europe
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1. Gareth Bale (WAL) – Tottenham
Hotspur FC
Achievements: EPL-5th
Personal highs:
a. Bale grabbed 3 goals in the 4-0 away win against
Aston Villa , marking his first PL hat-trick
b. He shined brilliantly in the 3-1 EPL home win
against Manchester City, pitching in a goal and an important assist to Dempsey.
c. He won
the PFA Players' Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year and the FWA
(Football Writer's
Association) Player of the Year Award, making him one of only two players who
have won all three in the same season, the other being Cristiano Ronaldo in
2007.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo (POR) – Real Madrid
CF
Achievements: La Liga-2nd, Runners up Copa del Rey and UCL semifinalist
Personal highs:
a. Ronaldo scored his 200th goal for Real Madrid in
a 6–2 win against Malaga. This feat made him sixth in the list of
the club's all-time top scorers and the player that took the least number of
matches (197) to reach 200 goals.
b. He scored his first career hat-trick in Champions
League as he led Real Madrid to a 4–1 victory over Ajax.
d. He scored the winning goal in a 2–1 victory
against his former home, Manchester United. CR7 showed his respect to his
former club, by refusing to celebrate the goal
e. He scored the next week against Sevilla, his 21st
hat-trick of his career and his 17th in La Liga
f. He was named by Marca as a member of the "Best foreign
eleven in Real Madrid's history". He
closely missed out on earning the 2012 FIFA Ballon d'Or
and came runners up for the fourth
time behind Lionel Messi
3. Zlatan Ibrahimović (SWE) – Paris Saint-Germain FC
Succoring
PSG to their much awaited French title since 1994, Zlatan was extraordinary
last season . The 31 year old controversial Swedish striker piled 35 goals,
last season and proved value for money for his transfer from the Italian giants
to the new land of football in Paris . The languid and agile striker that he
is, he has crafted the reputation as one of world’s best target man or one-man
striker of the current generation and clearly deserves to be in top 10 in the
list.
Accolades:
Ligue1 Champion, Trophée des Champions trophy
Personal
highs
a. Zlatan was awarded with the Ligue 1 player of the
year title.
b. He was the assists leader with a total of 7
assists in the 2012-13 UCL tournament
c. He scored twice in the second half for PSG to
help them rebound from 2–0 down at half-time to salve a 2–2 home draw with Lorient in the opening 2012–13 Ligue
1 match.
e.
He scored
both of PSG's goals in the Ligue 1 Le
Classique derby at the Stade Vélodrome, with the match finishing 2–2.This included the famous
Taekwondo kick goal and a curling freekick that went in.
4. Robert Lewandowski (POL) –
Borussia Dortmund
The
pole is undoubtedly one of the best strikers around and it was a roller coaster
ride last year, his tournament high reaching with 4 goals against Real Madrid
in a UCL semifinals. He belongs to the age-old class of strikers, the likes of
Bergkamp, Owen and Raul. The soft first touches, smart positioning, timely
sprints and spot-on finishing are characteristics of all these players. This is
quite in contrast to the typical lone striker we find in Europe, the likes of
Falcao, Benzema, Mandzukic, Zlatan and Torres. Lewandowksi, has time and again
proven that he is a match winner and last season, he was a vital part of the
second best European team in the world, the Schwarzgelbens, scoring a personal
goal tally of 36.
Achievements:
Bundesliga-2nd , UCL finalist, 2013 DFL-Supercup winner
Personal
high:
a. Lewandowski became the first player to score all
the four goals in a Champions League semifinal as Dortmund beat Spanish
champions Real
Madrid 4–1 in the first leg.
b. He scored at the dying minutes of the CL group
stages defeating Ajax by 1-0.
5. Lionel Messi (ARG) – FC Barcelona
Well
no explanation needed here we guess! We would rather just say that Messi is
arguably the best player in this planet currently, with only CR7 proving to
giving him stiff competition. If we were to let this award go to the best
player on a technical and personal-impact based analysis, Messi would have to
just open his gate at the next doorbell and the award would be waiting there!
But we need to realize that there is a little more to football than achieving
personal feats. Bayern’s emergence as the new powerhouse of European football
might offer challenges to his claim over the award. Having said this, it still
becomes logic-bound to quote him as the favourite to grab the award with a
mammoth personal goal tally of 60 and leading the Catalans to yet another La
Liga title and a UCL semifinal finish.
Achievements:
La Liga-1st , UCL semifinalist,
Personal
highs:
a. Messi scored two goals, and aided the fourth, to help
Barcelona defeat A.C.
Milan (4–0) in the 2nd leg of their Champions League
game and reach the quarter-finals. He became the 2nd all-time top scorer in the
UEFA Champions League, (excluding qualifying rounds). Messi's opening goal against Milan compared
by critics to Maradona's famous goal against Greece in the 1994
World Cup.
b. He won the FIFA Ballon d’Or for a 4th
time.
c. He scored 4 goals in a 5–1 win against Osasuna,
including his 200th goal in La
Liga, becoming the 8th player and the youngest player
to do so
d. He scored twice against Real
Betis, his 85th and 86th goals in
2012, surpassing Müller's milestone of 85 goals scored in a calendar year in
1972 with Bayern
Munich and the German national team, as well as surpassing Rodríguez's record for
most league goals for Barcelona
e. He scored for the 19th consecutive La Liga game,
netting Barcelona's second goal at Celta
de Vigo and
thus becoming the first footballer in La Liga's history to score in consecutive
matches against every team
6. Thomas Müller (GER) – FC Bayern
München
As
the commentators often quote: “There are two Mullers
who have marked their names in the history of German football, the first, the
legendary Gerd and the next, the young Thomas”.One of the key Bayern players
this season, Muller offers flexibility in terms of attacking roles for the club.
Traditionally a winger, we could often spot him in the centre of the midfield
in a wide role, in the hole and even as the target striker. There are only a
few players who can offer such versatility in terms of attacking outlook. This
coupled with his penchant for goals (22 last season) keeps him in the league of
best players this year.
Achievements: Bundesliga-1st , UCL
winners, DFB Pokal Cup-Historic Treble
Personal
highs:
a. Muller netted a brace against the recently
promoted Fortuna Düsseldorf in their 5-0 victory, registering their 8th
consecutive win in the league
b. He scored a vital goal against arch rivals,
Borussia Dortmund helping the Die Rotens seize the DFL Supercup
c. He scored 2 goals and assisted a goal against
the promising FC Barcelona at Allianz Arena
d. He scored yet another goal against the mighty
Catalans in the return leg, sealing the dreams of another UCL finals for
Barcelona
e. He scored a penalty in the final of the 2012-13
DFB Pokal final against Stuttgart
7. Franck Ribéry (FRA) – FC Bayern
München
“I
think I’ve done everything to be the world’s best player. I’ve played a very,
very good season. It’s either now or never for winning this prize. I can’t play
any better than this”. This was his message to the Bundesliga official website and it only becomes logically
justified to nod in acceptance to this claim of his. Franck Ribery has been the face of the attacking
threat of the historic treble winning Bayern Munich team this year. It would
have been a daunting task for Bayern to do without him. His experience coupled
with his immaculate attacking sense was leveraged perfectly by the Die Rotens this
season. His season ended with a tally of 10 goals and 14 assists thus part of
c.25% of FCBs goals. He was the highest assist contributor for Bayern Munich
and key indicators like successful dribbles per game (4.5) and key passes per
game (3.2), site him in a league of his own. He was remarkable with his runs in
the flank and efficient defensively, also clocking the highest playing time for
an attacker in the Bundesliga. His creativity and close control is world class,
comparable to the likes of Iniesta with a wider range of crossing, tackling and
aggressive abilities. He was in the peak of his form and eventually becoming
pivotal in helping Bayern claim the historic treble. Ribery might have grown
older, but his magic can still be seen on the field and for the contributions
last season, he truly deserves a top-spot finish in this race for personal
glory.
Achievements:
Bundesliga-1st , UCL winners, DFB Pokal Cup-Historic Treble
Personal
highs:
a. Ribery played a vital role in the UCL finals,
creating both the goals for Bayern Munich.
b. He was voted Bundesliga Player of the Year by his
fellow professionals.
c. He scored a late contender for ‘Goal of the
season’ as Bayern Munich came from behind to end their triumphant Bundesliga
campaign with a 4-3 win at Borussia Mönchengladbach. He also provided 2 assists
and scored another goal in the same clash.
d. He displayed a top-class performance in the 4-0
bashing of Barcelona. Ribery had a beautiful assist and a cross which was
tapped in by Pique to his credit.
9. ArjenRobben (NED) – FC Bayern München
Achievements: Bundesliga-1st , UCL winners, DFB Pokal Cup-Historic Treble
Personal highs:
a. Robben put forth a man of the match performance
at the UCL finals against Dortmund. He scored a goal and also set Mandzukic up
for another goal.
b. He scored in both the legs of the UCL semi
finals against Barcelona. His movement in the flanks and the centre of the
pitch, constantly disturbed the Barcelona defense, proving critical to the
victory in both the legs
c. He scored a beauty, a curling kick at the
corner, against Borussia in the quarter finals against Borussia Dortmund,
eliminating them from the DFB Pokal tournament.
9. Bastian Schweinsteiger (GER) – FC Bayern München
If Bayern were to identify their diving force or its engine, they would all look for the No.31 jersey, in the midfield. A true gem in the current era of midfielders, it has been a long wait for him to grab the ultimate silverware. It wasn’t a year ago when Schweinsteiger missed the crucial penalty that gifted Chelsea a UCL trophy. But little did people know that he would come back as one of the most threatening midfield forces in Europe. Eventhough, he was struck with an ankle problem that left him injured till about winter, he quickly adapted to the crucial orchestrator role for Bayern Munich. He perfectly combined with Javi Martinez, to develop into a formidable threat in the midfield and eventually the duo successfully cracked the toughest Xavi-Iniesta-TikiTaka midfield code. This was crucial in fueling the 7-0 bashing of Barcelona, helping steer the Die Rotens to the UCL finals. One of the most prolific midfielders of the generation, he personifies versatility. From deep in the defense, he is the one who can orchestrate a whole move and can feed those critical crosses and through balls. One can see him play CB, RWB, CDM, CAM and even on the right flank popping his head out to spot Mandzukic, Muller or Ribery. A true fighter by nature, he is the one they would look upto for any kind of inspiration and coach Heynckes has labeled him as the “Best midfielder in the world currently”. Combined with Martinez, they were the key pillars on which the Bayern team was built upon. Last season, Schweinsteiger gathered 9 goals and 7 assists with an amazing pass accuracy of 87.3% in the UCL tournament. The official Bundesliga site label him as the ‘Leader of the year’ and undoubtedly deserves a spot in the top 10 European players for this season.
Achievements: Bundesliga-1st , UCL winners, DFB Pokal Cup-Historic Treble
Personal highs:
a. Scored the backheel flick goal against Eintracht Frankfurt which sealed the Bundesliga title for Bayern
b. Scored a header in the 6-1 lashing against
Stuttgart
Achievements: EPL-1st
a. RVP scored his first hat-trick for United in their 3–2 victory over Southampton, helping pull United back from an initial 2–1 deficit. The match also witnessed the 100th PL goal for Robin Van Persie.
b. He scored a dramatic stoppage time winner from a
free kick in a 3–2 victory over Manchester City, his Manchester Derby debut.
c. He netted an impressive first-half hat-trick
against Aston Villa, confirming Manchester United's 20th league
title with four games in hand. His second goal in the match was one of his
career best, a diagonal volley from a long range cross by Rooney.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hr2fWhQkw_4Ultimate shortlist
Well
the next round of shortlist for the final 3 has already been announced on Aug 6th
2013, and we at Sheer Football are eagerly waiting for the final result to
update you with more information on this. This is the list in the ascending
order of the rankings.
• Lionel Messi
• Frank Ribery
• Cristiano Ronaldo
• Arjen Robben
• Robert Lewandowski
• Thomas Muller
• Bastian Schweinsteiger
• Gareth Bale
• Zlatan Ibrahimovic
• Robin Van Persie
Top 3
This year like any year has been record breaking and goal scoring for Lionel Messi. Messi magic was seen at many vital instances, reinstating the statement that he is the world’s best player. Eventhough his performace was not sufficient to lead the Catalans to any other trophy except La Liga, his personal statistics keep him right at the top of the European players of the season.
Franck Ribery has been the hero of the season and undoubtedly he deserves a final 3 finish for his performance that helped Bayern claim the historic treble. We think this was one of his best seasons and he was the most important link in the whole Bayern Munich framework. Eventhough Bayern is not a one-man team, rather a collective effort of a lot of star players, we think Ribery has been outstanding this season. Given the fact that he has achieved the historic treble with Bayern, he stands a very high chance to land the award.
CR7, again like Messi had many moments of personal glory, but couldn’t register any major silverware last season. Scoring the highest number of goals in the UCL competition and the expectedly high league goal tally, he naturally figures in the top 3 stars of Europe this season.
The attacking talisman of Bayern, the big game player that he is finds Robben slightly missing out on a podium finish. Eventhough he pitched in at critical times, an analysis based on an entire season dilutes his year end performances. He was often struck with injury and missed out on many matches in the beginning of 2013 season.
The Pole’s influential performance was not sufficient enough to outplay the Bayern Munich in the CL and the DFB Pokal quarter finals. His striking ability and his laudable performance against Real Madrid places him below his Bayern stars in the 5th position.
Thomas Muller, another star in the treble winning team has a glorious personal tally with him and places him 6th in the list.
We also think it is fair to give Bastian Schweinsteiger a 7th place, for being Bayern’s motor in their run for the treble. The Bayern orchestrator played a pivotal role in the successful Die Roten season last year and proves time and again that he is one of the top midfielders of his era.
The young Bale, touted as the next big thing has been the best player of EPL and his rather commendable single-handed performance for Spurs, places him 8th in list.
Zlatan, the French hero of the season failed to steer PSG across the Barcelona quarter final barrier in the UCL tournament. His success, last season was limited to France winning the Ligue1 alone, failing to win Coupe de France as well.
Robin Van Persie, although shined as a striker for Manchester United failed to achieve anything beyond the PL title. Manchester United was eliminated by Real Madrid in the pre-quarter finals and also failed to win the FA Cup last season.
Final Verdict
We
will have to wait till August 29th to know who grabs home this much
desired accolade. We think, this year the award will go to the French icon-
Franck Ribery. For all what he has done for the Die Roten while winning the
historic treble and for his brilliant attacking and defensive gameplays, we
feel he might win it over Messi. Obviously Messi remains the favourite owing to
his mammoth goals tally and personal feats, but his impact in his team has not
transformed into silverware and this might very much against him n the final
voting rounds. Messi, despite his first-class season, failed to deliver at key
moments in various tournaments and this justly overshadows the personal glory
of the world’s best player.CR7 would be ranked 3rd only following
Ribery and Messi. This is primarily attributed to the lack of any major
silverware this season. Well this is what we think! Let us have a vote on who
you think would finally grab this much coveted award!
Sheer
vote is running live! Vote for your Ultimate European star for the 2012-13
season!
