UEFA, the Union of European Football Associations, has officially announced nominees for the annual Player of the Year awards, which will be held in Istanbul, Turkey on Thursday, August 26.
The three nominees that will be up for the award are Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne as well as Chelsea pair Jorginho and N’Golo Kante.
The coaches of Manchester City and Chelsea, Pep Guardiola and Thomas Tuchel, have also been nominated for the Men’s Coach of the Year award.
The nominations should come as no surprise, following the success that both English clubs enjoyed in their 2020/21 campaign.
Manchester City was victorious in the Premier League, but it was beaten to the Champions League trophy by Tuchel’s Chelsea after losing 1-0 to the Blues in Porto.
Belgian midfielder, De Bruyne was key to his club’s success, helping it win the third Premier League title in four seasons.
The Manchester City man earned himself three Player of the Match awards in eight Champions League appearances last season, contributing four goals and three assists.
Kante is every forward player’s worst nightmare with his ubiquitous presence on the pitch, seemingly covering every blade of grass in the Blues 2020/21 campaign.
The French midfielder was named Man of the Match in both semi-final legs against Real Madrid, as well as in the final against Manchester City.
Chelsea’s other star man Jorginho enjoyed a stunning 2020/21 season, topping it up with a Euro 2020 winner’s medal with Italy, becoming only the tenth player to win a European Cup and a European Championship in the same year.
Jorginho was crucial to his success with club and country, controlling the play and setting the pace for every play moving forward.
The annual ceremony is set to take place at the Halic Congress Centre in Istanbul, Turkey on Thursday, August 26.