Messi, Ronaldo, Ribery finalist for UEFA best player award

FC Barcelona striker Lionel Messi, FC Bayern wide man Munich Franck Ribéry and Real Madrid CF forward Cristiano Ronaldo have been shortlisted for the 2012/13 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award, with the winner to be decided by a live vote on 29 August.

Lionel Messi, Franck Ribéry and Cristiano Ronaldo came top in a poll of journalists from each of UEFA's member national associations, with the overall winner to be decided in a live vote in Monaco during the 2013/14 UEFA Champions League group stage draw on Thursday 29 August.

Messi won the Spanish Liga title with Barcelona last term, as well as his 5th world player of the year crown with a third successive FIFA Ballon d'Or, and finished the season with an astonishing haul of 46 league goals.

Ribéry spearheaded the Bayern side that landed an astonishing treble, cruising to the German Bundesliga title and German Cup and whipping Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League final at Wembley. He was also rewarded with a new contract at the club.

Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, top scored in the 2013/13 UEFA Champions League with 12 goals for Real Madrid and during the course of the campaign passed the 100-cap mark for Portugal.

In Monaco the journalists will choose live, by means of an electronic system, for their superlative player from the shortlist. Positions four to ten are by now fixed after each journalist provided a list of their top 5 players, with the first getting five points, the second four points and so on:

5. Robert Lewandowski (POL) – Borussia Dortmund (39)
6. Thomas Müller (GER) – FC Bayern München (38)
7. Bastian Schweinsteiger (GER) – FC Bayern München (32)
8. Gareth Bale (WAL) – Tottenham Hotspur FC (24)
9. Zlatan Ibrahimović (SWE) – Paris Saint-Germain FC (14)
10. Robin van Persie (NED) – Manchester United FC (10)

4. Arjen Robben (NED) – FC Bayern München (57 points)

This season marks the third edition of the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award, which was born out of an enterprise by UEFA President Michel Platini in joint venture with the European Sports Media (ESM) group. Andres Iniesta lifted the 2011/12 award past Lionel Messi prevailed in the inaugural edition of 2010/11.