Neuer, Robben, Ronaldo make shortlist for UEFA Best Player in Europe Award

The UEFA Best Player in Europe Award will have a new winner this year.

Manuel Neuer, Arjen Robben and Cristiano Ronaldo emerged from a 10-player shortlist Thursday as the three finalists for the 2013-14 edition of the award, which was born out of an initiative by UEFA president Michel Platini in partnership with the European Sports Media (ESM) group.

Neuer, who was named as the German footballer of the year for a second time on Sunday, is coming off a World Cup triumph where he kept four clean sheets and made an array of difficult saves look incredibly casual. His inclusion on the final shortlist marks the first time a goalkeeper has been one of the final three nominees.

Robben found the back of the net three times at the World Cup, terrorizing opponents on the right flank to help the Netherlands reach the semifinals. Furthermore, only Thomas Muller and Mario Mandzukic notched more goals for Bayern in all competitions in 2013-14.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, is on the final shortlist for a fourth consecutive year. While guiding Real Madrid to their 10th Champions League title, he broke the record for most goals in a single Champions League campaign, scoring on 17 occasions.

Previous winners of the award include Franck Ribery in 2012-13, Andres Iniesta in 2011-12, and Lionel Messi in 2010-11.