UEFA confirmed in an written statement that Kevin de Bruyne, N'Golo Kante and Jorginho are the finalists for player of the year. It really catches ones eye that the three are midfielders. Two of them belong to Chelsea, Champions League winners in 2020-21.
Kevin de Bruyne of Man City and N'Golo Kante and Jorginho, both of Chelsea, are the nominees for UEFA's player of the year. The good work done by those three in the Champions League and Premier League has put them in the running.
It is eyecatching that all three are midfielders. It is an inherent consequence of their clubs' style of play. In the case of City, Pep Guardiola's way of playing needs players who can pass the ball quickly to form long moves which break the opposition down.
For Chelsea, this is not so much the case. Thomas Tuchel took over Frank Lampard after being sacked by PSG and he was absolutely right to keep faith in Kante and Jorginho. The Italian actually won the Euros.
For women's player of the year, all three candidates play for Barcelona. They are Jennifer Hermoso, Lieke Martens and Alexia Putellas. That is because Barca were dominant in the Champions League last season.
When it comes to coach of the year, Pep Guardiola, Roberto Mancini and Thomas Tuchel are candidates in the men's game while Lluis Cortes, Peter Gerhardsson and Emma Hayes are candidates in the women's.