Virgil Van Dijk and Lucy Bronze won the top prizes, while Lionel Messi came the best forward and Cristiano Ronaldo returned empty-handed as UEFA announced its Best Player of the Year awards for the 2018/19 season in Monaco on August 29, 2019 (Thursday). The UEFA Player’s Awards, hosted on the sidelines of the 2019 Champions League Group Stage draw, saw Van Dijk become the first defender in UEFA’s history to win the Best Player of the Year edging out Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to claim the top honour. England international Bronze became the first English player to win the women’s top prize in the UEFA Awards. Champions League Group Stage 2019-20 Draw OUT: Barcelona, Inter Milan in Group of Death; Liverpool, Real Madrid & Manchester City Handed Easy Draws.

Liverpool centre-back Van Dijk is the first Dutch international to win UEFA Best Men’s Player of the Year award and first Liverpool player to do so since Steven Gerrard clinched it in 2005. Dijk missed just one game as Liverpool rode to its sixth European title after beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the Champions League final last season. Dijk was also instrumental for The Reds in the English Premier League and played a record 4,645 minutes as Jurgen Klopp’s men finished one point behind title winners Manchester City in the EPL and reached the inaugural UEFA Nations League final with the Netherlands. Did Cristiano Ronaldo Sarcastically Clap After Lionel Messi Was Adjudged UEFA Forward of the Year 2019? Netizens Think So! (Watch Video).

He was the Dutch’s highest goal-scorer in the Nations League and has been an absolute colossus at the back for Liverpool, ever since signing for them for a world record fee from Premier League rivals Southampton in January 2018. Two-time winner of the UEFA Men’s Best Player of the Year awards, Messi came second, while Ronaldo finished third in the race. Argentine star Messi, who scored 51 goals in 50 appearances for Barcelona, however, claimed UEFA’s Best Forward of the Season, beating Van Dijk’s club teammate Sadio Mane to the award. Eric Cantona Speech and Cristiano Ronaldo-Lionel Messi’s Puzzled Looks Make For Amazing Funny Memes; These Moments From UEFA Champions League Draw Stage Cannot Be Missed!

Ronaldo also finished third in the race for the Best Forward after enduring a poor outing for Juventus in the bygone Champions League season. Portuguese superstar, Ronaldo, managed just six goals in the 2018/19 UCL season as Juventus were knocked out of the quarter-finals over both legs by Ajax FC. The 34-year-old, however, netted 21 goals for the Bianconeri guiding the Italian club to their record eighth straight Serie A title. But despite enjoying a trophy-laden domestic run in his first season at Juventus, Ronaldo had to return empty-handed from the UEFA Player’s Awards.

Meanwhile, Lyon and England right-back Bronze became the first defender to win the prestigious UEFA Best Women’s Player of the Year Award. Bronze, 27, is also first England and second Lyon player to win the award. Bronze, who was instrumental in England’s run to the semi-finals of the 2019 Women’s World Cup and was adjudged the second-best player of the tournament, beat Lyon teammates Ada Hegerberg and Amandine Henry to claim the top honour.

In the other awards of the night, Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker won the Best Goalkeeper of the Season award, while new Barcelona signing Frankie de Jong was announced the Best Midfielder for his stellar campaign in the 2018/19 Champions League season. Alisson kept a record 21 clean-sheets in his debut season in the Premier League for Liverpool, helping them finish second in the domestic league title race. He managed six clean sheets in the Champions League as Liverpool won the elite European tournament for the first time since 2005.

De Jong, on the other, was pivotal to Ajax FC’s midfield as the young Dutch team dazzled all in their sensational run to the 2018/19 UCL semis. He had already signed for Barcelona in the 2018 winter transfer window and joined the La Liga champions at the end of the last season. De Jong was also part of Netherlands’ team that played in the 2019 Nations League final.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 30, 2019 02:31 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).