Real Madrid duo Karim Benzema, Thibaut Courtois and Manchester City's Kevin de Bruyne were named as the final three nominees for the 2021/22 UEFA Men's Player of the Year award.

Benzema scored 44 goals and contributed 15 assists in 46 appearances in all competitions for Madrid in 2021/22. He was the top scorer in both La Liga and the Champions League as Madrid won both competitions.

The 34-year-old, who was on target in Wednesday's UEFA Super Cup win against Eintracht Frankfurt, is also the leading candidate to win this year's Ballon d'Or.

Courtois was outstanding for Madrid and produced a man-of the-match performance in the Champions League final against Liverpool to help deliver a 14th European Cup for the Spanish giants.

De Bruyne netted 15 league goals inspiring City to a fourth Premier League trophy in five years and was named as the Premier League Player of the Season. This is the third consecutive season that the midfielder has been named as one of the top three nominees for this award.

Meanwhile, Madrid's Carlo Ancelotti, City's Pep Guardiola and Jürgen Klopp, who led Liverpool to a domestic double and a runners-up finish behind City in the league, will contest the Men's Coach of the Year category.

The UEFA Awards ceremony will be held in Istanbul, Turkey, on August 25 during the draw for the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League group stage.

The winners of the Women's Player and Coach of the Year awards will also be revealed during the ceremony.

(With input from agencies)