Barcelona star Lionel Messi is one of 10 players who have been nominated for the Best Player in Europe award after guiding Argentina to the final of the World Cup.
The prolific attacker was controversially handed the World Cup Golden Ball earlier this month ahead of Bayern Munich duo Thomas Muller (Germany) and Arjen Robben (Netherlands) and is now in the frame to bag yet another prestigious individual award.
The 10-man shortlist for the prize is dominated by Bayern Munich players, with Philipp Lahm and Manuel Neuer accompanying the aforementioned Muller and Robben.
Real Madrid have two representatives on the list in Portugal attacker Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentina’s Angel Di Maria, while Colombia star James Rodriguez is the only candidate from Ligue 1.
Luis Suarez and Diego Costa, who both switched clubs this summer, complete the shortlist.
Sergio Ramos, Thibaut Courtois, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Andrea Pirlo and Yaya Toure all narrowly missed out and occupy places 11 to 15.
A jury of journalists from each of Uefa’s member associations has provided the initial list by voting for their five best players. Only the 10 best-ranked players advance to the second vote, which in turn defines the three finalists. That same jury will then cast their live votes during a special ceremony at the Champions League group stage draw. In total, 35 players received votes in the initial poll.
| Name | Club (previous club) | Country |
| Diego Costa | Chelsea (Atletico Madrid) | Spain |
| Angel Di Maria | Real Madrid | Argentina |
| James Rodriguez | Monaco | Colombia |
| Philipp Lahm | Bayern Munich | Germany |
| Lionel Messi | Barcelona | Argentina |
| Thomas Muller | Bayern Munich | Germany |
| Manuel Neuer | Bayern Munich | Germany |
| Arjen Robben | Bayern Munich | Netherlands |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | Portugal |
| Luis Suarez | Barcelona (Liverpool) | Uruguay |
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Source: Goal.com