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The ten player shortlist for European Footballer of the Year was released on Thursday by UEFA, and Bayern Munich players take up 40% of the slots. If you remember, Franck Ribery won the award in 2013.
Bayern is represented by Philipp Lahm, Thomas Müller, Manuel Neuer, and Arjen Robben. The four players were outstanding last season and led the club to a Bundesliga and DFB Pokal title.
| Player | Club |
| Diego Costa | Chelsea (Atletico Madrid) |
| Angel Di Maria | Real Madrid |
| James Rodriguez | Monaco |
| Philipp Lahm | Bayern Munich |
| Lionel Messi | Barcelona |
| Thomas Müller | Bayern Munich |
| Manuel Neuer | Bayern Munich |
| Arjen Robben | Bayern Munich |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid |
| Luis Suarez | Barcelona (Liverpool) |
Nothing would warm my heart like seeing Lahm winning the trophy, but we all know that these awards usually go to the flashy players.
The list will be narrowed down to three on August 14, and the winner will be announced during the UEFA Champions League draw on August 28 in Monaco.
Here are the rules:
As in previous years, a jury of journalists from each of UEFA's member associations has provided the initial list by voting for their five best players. The players are ordered from one to five, with the first receiving five points, the second four points and so on.
Only the ten best-ranked players advance to the second vote, which in turn defines the three finalists. That same jury will then cast their live votes during a special ceremony at the UEFA Champions League group stage draw, with the journalists using an electronic system to determine the outright winner from the three candidates.
A total of 35 players received votes in UEFA's poll. Toni Kroos, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Franck Ribery, and Mario Götze also made the list.