The Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi rivalry is set to restart in a few weeks when UEFA announces its award for best player in Europe throughout the 2012-13 season. The two superstars are listed among a total of 10 players for the award. The Champions league plays a major role in determining who the eventual winner is.
According to Marca.com, users of the website have voted for Ronaldo to be the winner. The Portuguese superstar finished the champions league with 12 goals, more than anyone else in the competition. He was award 12,544 votes, 54 percent of the total votes received.
In second place was four-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi. The Argentine forward earned 5,235 votes for a grand total of 23 percent. Messi finished the champions league with eight goals in nine matches. The superstar was injured during the final stages of the tournament and was left on the bench for the second leg of the semifinal against Bayern Munich. Without Messi, Barcelona fell 7-0 against Bayern Munich over the course of two matches.
In third place was Polish striker Robert Lewandowski. The Borussia Dortmund forward received 2,266 votes for a total of 10 percent. Lewandowski finished the champions league with 10 goals and had his brightest moments during a four-goal game against Real Madrid in the semifinal's first leg. In the final, Lewandowski was shut out by Bayern Munich.
Bayern Munich's quartet of Arjen Robben, Thomas Mueller, Franck Ribery and Bastian Schweinsteiger were also included in the voting. Robin van Persie (Manchester United), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Paris Saint-Germain) and Gareth Bale (Tottenham) rounded out the top 10. Of the 10 finalists, Bale was the only one not to participate in the Champions league.
The winner will be announced on Aug. 29 at the Champions league 2013-14 group stage drawing in Monaco.
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