No Messi, No Ronaldo: Why the two superstars are missing out on UEFA Player of the Year Award

UEFA has released the shortlist for the 2020-21 UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award with Ngolo Kante, Kevin De Bruyne and Jorginho on the final list. For the second year running, both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have missed out on the final 3 places. The last time either of the superstar duo made it to the podium was in 2019 when Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo finished 2nd and 3rd respectively behind Virgil van Dijk. But what has caused the absence of both players from the awards.

For Cristiano Ronaldo, finishing in 3rd place in 2019 was more a carry-over of influence from the previous season when he finished 2nd after helping Real Madrid win their 13th UEFA trophy. Thus, since his move to Juventus, he has been on a decline on the awards rung. This can be linked to the Bianconeri's poor performance in the UEFA competition notwithstanding Ronaldo's excellent performance in such. Juventus signed Ronaldo to be the  X-factor in their pursuit of continental glory but they haven't progressed past the Quarter-finals since Ronaldo arrived in 2018.

For Argentine superstar, Lionel Messi, he finished second in 2019 and a close 4th last year. Disappointing knockout rounds defeats have also been endured at Barcelona. However, his move to PSG this season significantly improves his chances of making it to the podium. Messi would expect that a team consisting of former UEFA Champions League winners like Neymar, Ramos, Wijnaldum and Achraf Hakimi would possess enough experience to navigate the choppy waters of knockout phases and hopefully the final hurdle of lifting the trophy. 

It can be inferred that winning the Champions League is almost a prerequisite for winning the UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award. All of the winners in the history of the awards have been from the Champions' team. Thus, both players know the work cut out for them to get back to winning the awards. By virtue of squad strength, Lionel Messi might stand more chance of winning this season, playing alongside an expensively assembled team.