Cristiano Ronaldo makes final shortlist of three names for best player of the year award

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the final three names nominated for UEFA's annual prize, while his former La Liga rival Lionel Messi is the notable absentee. 

Alongside the 33-year old attacker on the final shortlist are his former Real Madrid teammate Luca Modric, who won the Champions League last season and helped Croatia make the World Cup final, and Liverpool forward Mo Salah, who helped his side reach the Champions League final in the previous campaign, while also finishing as the English Premier League's top scorer.

Ronaldo, who only this summer moved to Italian giants Juventus for an astronomical fee in excess of £100million, is the only player to have been named UEFA player of the year on three separate occasions in his career, and is also now the only player to have at least made the last three of the annual award every year since its introduction in 2011, making this a record eighth year in a row for the Portuguese international.