No Messi and Ronaldo as Robert Lewandowski, Manuel Neuer, Hansi Flick and Julian Nagelsmann are nominated for UEFA’s top awards
Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski and Manuel Neuer have been nominated for the UEFA’s Men’s Player of the Year award, with Hansi Flick and Julian Nagelsmann up for the Coach’s equivalent.
It’s hardly a surprise to see two Bayern squad members nominated for UEFA’s top playing award, after the record Bundesliga champions secured the club’s second continental treble and added the UEFA Super Cup, by beating Sevilla by 2-1 in Budapest two nights ago, with Lewandowski and Neuer integral to their success.
Flick was the author, while Nagelsmann has been rewarded for his incredible work in leading Leipzig to the Champions League semi-finals.
Lewandowski, 32, enjoyed his most fecund season yet in 2019/20 with 55 goals and 10 assists in 47 competitive appearances. The Pole is the first player in history to have finished as the top scorer in the Bundesliga, DFB Cup and Champions League whilst winning all three competitions.
Manuel Neuer, 34, who had a resurgent campaign in which he kept 21 clean sheets across 44 appearances is the second Bayern player listed for the top individual prize. The third player nominated for the Men’s Player of the Year award is Manchester City’s former Wolfsburg and Werder Bremen midfielder Kevin De Bruyne.
It is certainly a year for the Germans as three German coaches have been nominated for the manager of the Year award with Flick and Nagelsmann representing the Bundesliga, alongside Liverpool head honcho Jürgen Klopp, formerly of Mainz and Borussia Dortmund.
Flick took charge at Bayern with the Bavarians in fourth place on the Bundesliga standings and he led them to the treble in his first season with the club. As things stand, the nine-time consecutive Bundesliga champions are on a 31-game unbeaten run, winning each of their last 22 matches in all competitions.
Nagelsmann, meanwhile, coached Leipzig to their first European semi-final as they defeated last season’s runners-up Tottenham Hotspur and Atletico Madrid on their way to facing Paris Saint-Germain in Lisbon. In doing so, the 33-year-old became the youngest coach to reach that stage of the Champions League in the competition’s history.
Three Bayern defenders have also been nominated for UEFA’s Defender of the Year, with Alphonso Davies, Joshua Kimmich and David Alaba up for the award. And both Thomas Müller and former Bayern midfielder Thiago have been nominated for the Midfielder of the Year prize.
The winners of both awards will be announced during the Champions League group stage draw on 1 October.
