The UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award is one of the most prestigious individual awards a footballer playing in Europe can ever win. The distinguished accolade is given to the best men's player of the previous season, for both club and international competitions.
The award replaced the previously presented UEFA Club Footballer of the Year award in 2011.
The majority of winners of this personal honor have won the UEFA Champions League in the prior season, except for the 2011-12 season. Andres Iniesta made an exception on this list, winning the award without a Champions League medal.
On that note, let us take a look at the top five players who have won the UEFA Player of the Year Award:
#5 Virgil van Dijk
The only defender on this list, Virgil van Dijk, became the first ever player in his position to win the UEFA Player of the Year award in 2019. After finishing runner-up in the 2018 Champions League final, the Dutchman buried the embarrassment of previous season, winning the trophy with Liverpool the following year.
The Merseyside-based club kept a clean-sheet in the 2019 Champions League final against Tottenham Hotspur, winning by two goals. Van Dijk was awarded the Player of the Match in that game. The former Southampton defender won the Player of the Year award with 305 points, surpassing Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who came second and third respectively.
#4 Luka Modric
After winning his third consecutive Champions League with Real Madrid, Luka Modric was awarded the 2017-18 UEFA Player of the Year award. The Croatian international was regarded as the best player at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where he led his nation to a surprise runner-up finish. He was awarded the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball for his heroics.
Modric moreover added The Best FIFA Men's Player of the Year and France Football's Ballon d'Or to his personal tally that season. His 2018 Ballon d'Or triumph ended the decade of Cristiano Ronaldo-Lionel Messi dominance in the race for the biggest individual prize in football.
#3 Robert Lewandowski
Often labeled the best of the rest, Robert Lewandowski finally got his hands over the UEFA Player of the Year award in 2020. The Polish international ended the season as FC Bayern Munich's top scorer in all competitions with 55 goals. The player and the club won the treble that season and later went on to complete the historic sextuple in 2021.
Lewandowski further won The Best FIFA Men's Player of the Year award in a record-breaking 2019-20 season. The former Borussia Dortmund striker was also the number one favorite to win the France Football Ballon d'Or in 2020. Unfortunately, the ceremony was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
#2 Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi is the second most successful footballer to win the UEFA Player of the Year award, winning the prize twice. The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner is also second to Cristiano Ronaldo in the list of scoring the most goals in UEFA Champions League.
The Argentine won the first edition of the award, which was inaugurated in the 2010-2011 season. In addition to being Barcelona's top scorer in all competitions that season, he won his fifth La Liga and third Champions League title. His next triumph came in the 2014-15 season, where he and the Catalan club won their second treble after the 2008-2009 season.
Messi also holds the record for the most second-place finishes in the Player of the Year award, coming in second position four times.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo
The most successful footballer in the history of UEFA club competitions, Cristiano Ronaldo, has won the Player of the Year award a record three times. The Portuguese sensation is also the only player to win the prize twice in a row. He also holds the record for the most goals in UEFA Champions League history.
The five-time Champions League winner won his first Player of the Year award in the 2013-14 season after ending Real Madrid's 12-year wait for their La Decima. His second award came after arguably the most memorable season of his career, winning the Champions League and Euro 2016 for Portugal.
The Manchester United forward won his final Player of the Year trophy in the 2016-2017 season. After winning the league and European double with Real Madrid, he eclipsed Lionel Messi and Gianluigi Buffon by a staggering 482 points.