The Union of European Football Association (UEFA) on Tuesday released a three-man final shortlist for the 2016/2017 UEFA player of the year award. The list which was made public by the football governing body via its Twitter handle @UEFA has Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the nominees.
The list was arrived at after votes from 80 coaches of the clubs which participated in the groups stage of the 2016/2017 UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League as well as inputs from 55 accredited football journalists representing UEFA member association.
This year's award will be presented to the winner on August 24 in Monaco ahead of the draws for the new Champions league and Europa league season which commences on August 25.
Ronaldo was awarded the honour last season after helping Real Madrid to win the Champions League and contributing immensely to the triumph of Portugal in the Euro 2016 competition. This season, Ronaldo won the Champions League and the Spanish La Liga title but failed to replicate the feat in the Confederation Cup.
