The continental football federation announced on Friday the nomination of Real Madrid's French forward Karim Benzema, his teammate Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, and Manchester City's English midfielder Kevin De Bruyne for the title of European Player of the Year for the last season. Benzema stands a good chance of winning the award due to his crucial role in his team's Champions League victory and scoring 44 goals across all competitions, which also contributed to Real Madrid winning the La Liga title.
The competition for the European Player of the Year award will be between Real Madrid's Karim Benzema, teammate Thibaut Courtois, and De Bruyne, as announced by the continental football federation (UEFA) on Friday. This award honors the best player in Europe and will be presented on August 25 during the draw for the Champions League group stage.
All nominations lean in favor of Benzema, who played a significant role in his team's Champions League triumph against Liverpool in the final and finished as the tournament's top scorer with 15 goals, succeeding Italy's Jorginho, a Chelsea midfielder.
Benzema scored 44 goals in 46 matches across various competitions during the 2021-2022 season and helped Real Madrid win the Spanish league title. By scoring the second goal against Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Super Cup match on Wednesday, Benzema became the second-highest scorer in Real Madrid's history with 324 goals, surpassing the club legend Raúl González.
Courtois was named the best player of the Champions League final as he made several saves that significantly contributed to his team's victory. Meanwhile, De Bruyne won the Premier League with Manchester City and reached the Champions League semi-finals, where his team lost to Real Madrid.
