Uefa has announced a list of the 32 players who are in contention for their award for the best player of Europe.
La Liga champions Real Madrid are the most represented club on the list, with seven players, followed by Premier League holders Manchester City, who boast six players.
Champions League winners Chelsea and Catalan giants Barcelona boast four players each, while Radamel Falcao is the sole player from Europa League champions, Atletico Madrid.
The players were chosen by a jury of journalists from each of Uefa’s 53 member associations. The governing body for European football will reveal on August 14 the names of the three players who were given the most points by the writers, who will then proceed to the live vote to choose the overall winner in Monaco.
Barca’s Lionel Messi was the winner of the first edition of the award, beating team-mate Xavi and Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo to the honour.
Raul and Didier Drogba have left Europe since their exploits last season for Al Sadd and Shanghai Shenhua respectively, while Shinji Kagawa’s form for Borussia Dortmund earned him a summer move to Manchester United.
Player Club
Sergio Aguero Manchester City
Xabi Alonso Real Madrid
Mario Balotelli Manchester City
Jakub Blaszczykowski Borussia Dortmund
Gianluigi Buffon Juventus
Iker Casillas Real Madrid
Petr Cech Chelsea
Fabio Coentrao Real Madrid
Leslie Davies Bangor City
Didier Drogba Chelsea
Cesc Fabregas Barcelona
Radamel Falcao Atletico Madrid
Joe Hart Manchester City
Zlatan Ibrahimovic AC Milan
Andres Iniesta Barcelona
Shinji Kagawa Borussia Dortmund
Vincent Kompany Manchester City
Frank Lampard Chelsea
Lionel Messi Barcelona
Luka Modric Tottenham
Mesut Ozil Real Madrid
Pepe Real Madrid
Andrea Pirlo Juventus
Sergio Ramos Real Madrid
Raul Schalke
Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid
Wayne Rooney Manchester United
David Silva Manchester City
Fernando Torres Chelsea
Yaya Toure Manchester City
Robin van Persie Arsenal
Xavi Barcelona
A live vote will be conducted to reveal the overall winner of the accolade after the final three most nominated players are revealed next month.
