Eight members of Spain’s victorious Euro 2012 side have been named on the 32-man shortlist for the prestigious UEFA Best Player in Europe Award for 2012.
Xavi, Andrés Iniesta and Cesc Fàbregas (all Barcelona) are joined by on the list by Real Madrid trio Xabi Alonso, Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos. Manchester City’s David Silva and Chelsea’s Fernando Torres complete the Spanish contingent.
All eight players will go head-to-head with last year’s inaugural winner of the award Lionel Messi with the 32-man shortlist due to be cut to the final three next month.
The winner of the accolade, which is the brainchild of UEFA President Michel Platini, will then be announced at a lavish ceremony in Monaco on August 30.
Messi took the crown 12 months as he saw off competition from Barca team-mate Xavi and his long-tim rival Cristiano Ronaldo, one of six Madrid players named on the shortlist this time around.
Made up of some of the biggest names in world football, one name unlikely to be familiar to many fans is that of Leslie Davies, a 27-year-old semi-professional striker who plays for Welsh side Bangor City.
Davies is rewarded for his best season to date which saw him net 19 league and cup goals as the Welsh minnows finished second in the table, five points behind champions The New Saints.
Alongside Davies on the list includes Manchester City’s title-winning heroes Vincent Kompany, Yaya Toure, Mario Balotelli and Sergio Aguero, scorer of the injury time winner against QPR on the final day to seal the league crown.
New Shanghai Shenhua striker Didier Drogba, Chelsea’s match-winner in their Champions League final triumph over Bayern Munich, is included as is his former Blues team-mates Petr Cech and Frank Lampard.
Last season’s Premier League top goalscorer, Robin van Persie also finds himself shortlisted as does Tottenham playmaker Luka Modric, while Wayne Rooney and Shinji Kagawa fly the flag for Manchester United.
As was the case in 2011, a jury of journalists from each of UEFA’s 53 member associations are responsible for providing the list of their best-ranked players. The players are ordered from one to five, with the first receiving five points, the second four points and so on.
32-man shortlist (in alphabetical order):
Sergio Agüero (ARG) – Manchester City
Xabi Alonso (ESP) – Real Madrid
Mario Balotelli (ITA) – Manchester City
Jakub Błaszczykowski (POL) – Borussia Dortmund
Gianluigi Buffon (ITA) – Juventus
Iker Casillas (ESP) – Real Madrid
Petr Čech (CZE) – Chelsea
Fábio Coentrão (POR) – Real Madrid
Leslie Davies (WAL) – Bangor City
Didier Drogba (CIV) – Chelsea (now at Shanghai Shenhua)
Cesc Fàbregas (ESP) – Barcelona
Falcao (COL) – Atlético Madrid
Joe Hart (ENG) – Manchester City
Zlatan Ibrahimović (SWE) – AC Milan
Andrés Iniesta (ESP) – Barcelona”
Shinji Kagawa (JPN) – Borussia Dortmund (now at Manchester United)
Vincent Kompany (BEL) – Manchester City
Frank Lampard (ENG) – Chelsea
Lionel Messi (ARG) – Barcelona
Luka Modrić (CRO) – Tottenham Hotspur
Mesut Özil (GER) – Real Madrid
Pepe (POR) – Real Madrid
Andrea Pirlo (ITA) – Juventus
Sergio Ramos (ESP) – Real Madrid
Raúl González (ESP) – FC Schalke 04 (now at Al-Sadd Sports Club)
Cristiano Ronaldo (POR) – Real Madrid
Wayne Rooney (ENG) – Manchester United
David Silva (ESP) – Manchester City
Fernando Torres (ESP) – Chelsea
Yaya Touré (CIV) – Manchester City
Robin van Persie (NED) – Arsenal
Xavi (ESP) – Barcelona
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