Franck Bilal Ribery Wins European Footballer of the Year Award

 

Named the best player of the year in Europe, Bayern Munich wideman Franck Bilal Ribery holds his trophy during the UEFA Champions League draw at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco on Thursday, 29 Aug 2013.

MONACO —France and Bayern Munich midfielder Franck Ribery won the UEFA Best Player in Europe prize for the 2012-2013 season on Thursday, thumping Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo by a large margin.

Franck Bilal Ribery earned 36 votes in the poll of journalists from across Europe — 23 more than four-time reigning world player of the year Lionel Messi. Real Madrid forward Ronaldo won 3 votes.

"It's a very exceptional moment to be standing here this evening," Ribery said after getting the honor following the draw for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League in Monaco.

The 30-year-old Ribery was helpful to Bayern Munich's inconceivable season in which the side won the UEFA Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup.

"This distinction rewards Franck for the superb season he had with his club and above all underlines his superlative talent which allows him to be considered among the greatest players in the world," French Football Federation President Noel Le Graet said. "Everybody in French football is very proud, and are with me in congratulating him."

The three-man shortlist was chosen by a board of 53 journalists drawn from each of UEFA's member nations. The same journalists then voted for the winner.

Franck Ribery had some stiff antagonism for the award as he beat out Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo among others to capture the tribute. Although Ribery's production doesn't jump off the page as much as Messi's or Ronaldo's, the truth that he played for the greatest team in the world surely helped his cause.   

With that said, Ribery's statistics for the 2012-13 season are nothing to sneeze at. He racked up 11 goals and 18 assists for his team Bayern Munich. More than anything, Ribery is responsible for fueling Munich's uptempo attack, as he continuously draws the concentration of defenders and allows his teammates to get open.

UEFA shaped the award after France Football magazine united its traditional European accolade with FIFA's world player award. Lionel Messi won the inaugural prize in 2011 but was beaten by Barcelona teammate Andres Iniesta last year.

It is the third successive year that Messi and Ronaldo have been on the shortlist.