Ronaldo, Modric and Salah compete for the best in Europe

[Blexfraptor]

The winner will be announced on August 30 in Monaco during the draw ceremony for the Champions League

The Uefa prize for the best player in Europe last season will not fall into the hands of a French world champion.

Instead, Cristiano Ronaldo will play the award with midfielder Luka Modric, his former teammate at Real Madrid, and Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah of Liverpool, in a short list chosen by technicians who participated in the Champions League and invited journalists from all over Europe, said AP.

Three Frenchmen were among the 10 best: Antoine Griezmann, of Atlético de Madrid, was in fourth place; Kylian Mbappé, of Paris Saint-Germain, was sixth; and Raphael Varane, of Real Madrid, ranked eighth. The Portuguese star, now with Juventus, has won the Uefa prize three times, each time Real Madrid has been European champion since the vote was established in 2011.

Lionel Messi has won twice, after the Champions League titles that Barcelona lifted in 2011 and 2015. The Argentine finished in fifth place in this year's voting, Uefa said on Monday.

The recognition usually focuses on performances in the Champions, but voters can take into account the performance in the recent World Cup. The three contenders to the prize participated in the final of the European maximum club tournament in May.

"The players are evaluated based on their performance in all competitions _national, continental and international," the Uefa said in a statement.

The winner will be announced on August 30 in Monaco during the draw ceremony for the Champions League. Technicians can not vote for players on their teams.

At the World Cup in Russia, Modric won the Golden Ball for leading a Croatian team that reached the final of the tournament. The Croats lost the game for the title against France.

Griezmann won the Bronze Ball for the third best player in the World Cup, chosen by a panel of Fifa experts, and the Silver Ball for taking the second in the scoring chart. Mbappé was named the best young player in Russia.

Voting does not always reward the winners of the Champions League. In 2012, Andrés Iniesta was the winner weeks after guiding Espala to his second European title in a row, although Barsa was eliminated in the semifinals of the Champions League.

Uefa will also name in Monaco next week the best goalkeeper, defender, midfielder and striker. Cristiano and Salah also compete in the category of striker, along with Messi, while Modric appears alongside Kevin De Bruyne and Toni Kroos in the contest for best midfielder.

Varane was included in the list of best defender, a category that completely monopolized Real Madrid with Brazil's Marcelo and Spaniard Sergio Ramos.

In the prize for the best goalkeeper, the candidates are Alisson, Gianluigi Buffon and Keylor Navas.

Griezmann appears in the short list for the award for best player in the Europa League last season, after scoring a couple of times in the victory of Atlético 3-0 over Marseille in the final. The 27-year-old Frenchman is accompanied by Diego Godín, also from Atlético, and Dimitri Payet from Marseille. The winners will be announced on August 31 during the draw for the group stage of the Europa League.

The Uefa will also award the prize to the best player of the year. The candidates are Pernille Harder (selection of Denmark and the club Wolfsburg), Ada Hegerberg (Norway and Lyon), and Amandine Henry (France and Lyon).