Credit: Twitter
Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr. has been left out of the top 10 nominees for the UEFA Footballer of the Year award, despite his impressive performance in the 2022/23 season. The Brazilian winger scored 23 goals and provided 21 assists in 55 appearances for Los Blancos, helping them finish as runner-up in La Liga and reach the semi-finals of the Champions League. He also won the Copa del Rey and the Club World Cup with his club and scored a couple of goals for Brazil across multiple contests.
However, Vinicius Jr. was not among the top 10 players selected by a jury of coaches and journalists based on their performance in European competitions. The shortlist was dominated by Manchester City players, who won the treble of the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League. Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland, and Lionel Messi are the top three nominees, followed by Ilkay Gundogan, Rodri, Kylian Mbappe, Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic, Declan Rice, and Alexis Mac Allister.
Some fans and pundits have questioned the inclusion of Messi in the top three, as he had an average season with Paris Saint-Germain, scoring 16 goals in 32 games in Ligue 1. PSG were knocked out by Bayern in the RO16 of the Champions League. He did lead Argentina to their first World Cup title since 1986, scoring seven goals in the tournament.
Let’s have a look at some of the Twitter reactions about Vini missing out on a spot:
The winner of the UEFA Footballer of the Year award will be announced on August 31 at the Champions League draw ceremony in Monaco.
