Who will win the UEFA player of the year award?

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It is strange indeed not to see a familiar name in Lionel Messi pop up in the UEFA Player of the Year top three nominees. However strange it might be, the Argentine has not done enough to have his name in the list ahead of the trio of the Cristiano Ronaldo, Mohamed Salah or Luka Modric.

 But the question that comes straight out from a normal football fan’s mind is very natural- Who will win the accolade this time around. With the date of the announcement (30th August) coming closer, the inevitable comes closer with every passing day. By the ‘inevitable’, one could mean only one thing. Cristiano Ronaldo.

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We can go on and on about how titles should not define the success and quality of a player and it should not show how good a player was or wasn’t, but that is utopia. Especially in the case of world-class players like the ones who are in the top three. If someone is a world class performer, who has an aura around him, he should inspire the team to glory and trophies. That is only one add-on aspect to being a world class performer, but it makes a world-class player a complete package.

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 Not to say that Mohamed Salah isn’t a world-class player, but his candidature for winning the accolade would carry more weight if he won either the Champions League, the Premier League or the World Cup with Egypt. While he broke numerous and multiple records in England and for Liverpool, he had nothing more tangible to show for it apart from records. By ‘more tangible’, I refer to trophies and titles.

 There’s no doubting Salah’s Messi-esque playing style and abilities that were on show throughout the Premier League season, Liverpool came fourth in the Premier League and could only reach the finals of the Champions League, where they were ousted by Ronaldo’s Real.

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 The case with Luka Modric is different. The Croatian reached the final of the FIFA World Cup and won the UEFA Champions League, much like Ronaldo. He also won the Golden Ball in the World Cup but unfortunately so, the goals that Ronaldo has scored throughout the Champions League will carry more weightage than Modric’s contributions from the heart of the park.

 Ronaldo scored 15 times throughout the Champions League campaign last season and that is no small feat at all. While it wouldn’t be fair to compare him to Modric, but the Croatian had scored once and has assisted once throughout last season’s campaign.

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Most of his contributions came not in the form of goals and assists, but in form of dictating play and carrying the ball from deeper areas in midfield to play it to the likes of Ronaldo.Although, Modric may deserve the UEFA Player of the Year award, it would be tough to sweep the Ronaldo wave that’s been blowing since Real won their first of the three Champions League titles that they won consecutively.

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