Friday, August 13, 2021 at 17:00• Dominic Mostert • Last update: 16:58

UEFA announced on Friday which twelve players have a chance to win a Champions League award. There are still three contenders for the awards for best goalkeeper, defender, midfielder and attacker of the past season. Midfielder Kevin De Bruyne and attacker Robert Lewandowski can extend their title. The awards for best goalkeeper and best defender will go to a different player than last season.

Last year Bayern Munich dominated the award ceremony after winning the Champions League: the best goalkeeper, defender and attacker came from Munich. Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid), Ederson (Manchester City) and Édouard Mendy (Chelsea) now have a chance to succeed Manuel Neuer as best goalkeeper. Joshua Kimmich can be relieved by César Azpilicueta (Chelsea), Rúben Dias (Manchester City) or Antonio Rüdiger (Chelsea).

De Bruyne has been nominated again for the title of best midfielder. The Manchester City playmaker competes with two players from Champions League winner Chelsea for that honorary title: Jorginho and N’Golo Kante. Only for the prize of best attacker does Chelsea deliver no nomination. That award will go to Lewandowski, Erling Braut Haaland (Borussia Dortmund) or Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain). Haaland became the tournament’s top scorer with ten goals.

No Dutch have been nominated, but Frenkie de Jong (sixth) and Georginio Wijnaldum (ninth) are part of the top ten best midfielders in the past Champions League season. It is also striking that Kai Havertz of Chelsea is in the top ten of midfielders and attackers. Among the women, a Dutchman does have a chance of winning an honorary trophy: Lieke Martens (Barcelona) competes with her two teammates Caroline Graham Hansen and Jennifer Hermoso for the prize of best attacker, after Barcelona won the tournament.

The prizes have been awarded since the 2016/17 season. The jury is made up of the coaches of the 32 clubs that took part in the group stage, plus a sports journalist from each of UEFA’s 55 member states. Jury members put together a top three per position; their number one got five points, the number two got three points and the number three got one point. UEFA has announced the top ten by position and is keeping the scores for the top three players secret until the group stage draw ceremony on August 26 in Istanbul.