UEFA presented its annual individual accolades to honor accomplishments from the 2022/23 season, coinciding with the conclusion of the 23/24 men’s Champions League group stage draw.
Lionel Messi once again found himself among the nominees for the men’s award, as he aimed to match his long-standing rival Cristiano Ronaldo by claiming the prize for the third time.
Messi earned his place on the list for his exceptional contributions, including leading Argentina to World Cup victory and securing another Ligue 1 title with PSG before joining Inter Miami.
However, Haaland emerged victorious, surpassing Messi and Kevin De Bruyne to claim the 2023 UEFA Best Player award. The Norwegian forward had a remarkable debut season in England during 2022/23, playing a pivotal role in Manchester City’s historic achievement of winning their first-ever Champions League title and completing a treble.
Haaland found the back of the net 52 times in 53 matches in various competitions, including an impressive tally of 12 goals in 11 appearances for Manchester City in the Champions League.
On the other hand, Bonmati achieved victory in the Women’s Champions League with Barcelona Women and triumphed in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup with Spain, where she received the prestigious Golden Ball award as the best player.
The two-year reign of Alexia Putellas as the women’s winner came to a close as her compatriot and fellow Spanish World Cup champion took over the title.
Aitana Bonmati claimed the award, closely following her Golden Ball recognition at the World Cup earlier this month, where she notched three goals and provided two assists.
Pep Guardiola, the coach of Manchester City and Erling Haaland, also secured the accolade for Best Men’s Coach, while Sarina Wiegman, the head coach of the Lionesses, earned the award for Best Coach of a Women’s Team.
Bonmati had an exceptional season with the highly successful Barcelona team before becoming the match-winner in the World Cup final, earning her a nomination for UEFA’s award.
Sam Kerr, the Australian and Chelsea star, was another notable nominee for the women’s award.
Here is the list of recipients of the 2023 UEFA Awards, which took place in Monaco, France on Thursday, August 31st, 2023.UEFA Awards 2023: List of nominees for Men’s and Women’s Player of the Year
UEFA Men’s Player of the Year
UEFA Awards 2023: List of nominees for Men’s and Women’s Player of the Year
UEFA Men’s Player of the Year
Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City & Belgium)
Winner: Erling Haaland (Manchester City & Norway)
Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain & Argentina)
UEFA Women’s Player of the Year
Winner: Aitana Bonmati (Barcelona & Spain)
Olga Carmona (Real Madrid & Spain)
Sam Kerr (Chelsea & Australia)
