Premier stars dominate UEFA nominations
The shortlist for this year's UEFA European Club Footballer of the Year awards is dominated by Premier League players.
Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool all reached the Champions League semi-finals last season and that is reflected in the shortlist, announced on Friday by UEFA, with 17 players from the 25-strong shortlist currently playing in England's top flight.
Last year's Champions League top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo, Liverpool's Fernando Torres and Chelsea's Frank Lampard will all be leading contenders for the award. Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Carles Puyol are also in contention.
The coaches of the 16 teams which reached the knock-out stages of last year's competition will cast their votes next Thursday, at the Champions League group stage draw in Monaco.
There are also awards for goalkeeper, defender, midfielder and forward of the year.
