European football organizing body UEFA has announced the coaches and players for the 2021-2022 UEFA Awards. Karim Benzema of Real Madrid leads the list of players nominated while his coach Carlo Ancelotti leads the Men’s coach list.
There are no surprises as European Football Association UEFA announced the top three coaches and players. They will receive the prestigious UEFA award for outstanding performances in European football last season.
The three coaches nominated for the award are Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti, Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola, and Liverpool Coach Jurgen Klopp.
The players’ list is led by France international Karim Benzema, alongside Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City, and Thibaut Courtois of Real Madrid.
Nominees For The Coach Category
The former Chelsea, PSG, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, and Juventus manager deservedly lead the list after adding two trophies to Real Madrid’s trophy cabinet. Carlo Ancelotti won the La Liga last season. He also won the 2021-2022 UEFA Champions League. Recently, he has added the Spanish Super Cup and The UEFA Super Cup to the list making it four for the Blancos this season.
Former Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola make the list. Guardiola won the 2021-2022 English Premier League with Manchester City after stiff competition from Liverpool.
The tiki-taka legend made it to the semi-finals of the 2021-2022 Champions league before losing to Carlo Ancelotti. Pep Guardiola also lost the Community Shield to Liverpool.
Jurgen Klopp is another English Premier League manager on the list. Klopp made it to the finals of the 2021-2022 UEFA Champions League after a superb and brilliant knockout game against Madrid. The Reds lose 1-0 to Real Madrid courtesy of Vinicius Jr strike.
Klopp was the 2021-2022 Premier League runners-up, narrowly losing to Manchester City on the last match day. Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp ended his last season’s chase for a quadruple with a double – the FA Cup and EFL Cup. He has also added the Community Shield to Liverpool’s trophy room.
Nominees For The Players Category
Karim Benzema tops the players’ list nominated for the 2021-2022 UEFA Awards. Benzema was phenomenal for Real Madrid last season and is a clear favorite to clinch the award.
The 34-year-old pulled 15 Champions League goals to emerge the top scorer and won the tournament for the Los Blancos. He also won the La Liga with Real Madrid, scoring 27 goals with 12 assists. The Real Madrid star has added the UEFA Super Cup to the list.
Kevin De Bruyne appears to be a surprise addition to the list beating Lewandowski, Salah, and Mane, but the Belgium international is a legendary midfielder. He scored two Champions League goals last season, 15 Premier League goals, 8 assists, and 1 EFL Cup goal. De Bruyne won the Premier League with Manchester City and made it to the Champions League semi-finals.
Thibaut Courtois is another La Liga player on the list. Courtois can also be considered a surprise addition to the list. Courtois concede an average of 0.78 goals per match last season. His clean sheet ratio stands at 44% meaning that he kept 16 clean sheets in 36 matches. Notwithstanding, Courtois won the La Liga, Champions League, Spanish Super Cup, and The UEFA Super Cup with Real Madrid
UEFA Awards: Selection Process And Award Date And Time
The UEFA Technical Study Group selected all the nominees. Participants in the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League voted, including coaches and seated journalists. The final 3 candidates were selected through points gathered by the votes.
The Award will take place in Istanbul, Turkey, on August 25th, 2022. Same date, the draws for the Champions League will be released.
