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Carlo Ancelotti’s voting card (above) shows the Chelsea manager voted for four FC Internazionale Milano players while Pep Guardiola, whose card is written in his native Spanish (below left), rated the performances of Cesc Fabregas of Arsenal FC. Arjen Robben caught the eye of Leonid Slutsky (below right) who picked the Dutch star as his Midfielder of the Year

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thE UEFA CLUb FootbALL AwArds

2010 pANEL

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think, their approach to the game, but also how they rate the qualities of different players.

This year has been no different and with no shortlist drawn up, it allows each manager’s opinion to be reflected in the final vote count.

For instance, while this year’s shortlist for UEFA Club Goalkeeper of the Year includes Hugo Lloris (Olympique Lyonnais), Julio Cesar (FC Internazionale Milano) and Víctor Valdés (FC Barcelona), Sir Alex Ferguson’s vote sheet features Chelsea FC goalkeeper Petr Čech as his choice for the number one goalkeeper in Europe last term.

The Manchester United FC manager’s reason for this was his “good maturity, experience and courage”.

Interestingly, when others such as Leonid Slutsky of PFC CSKA Moskva were voting, they looked at

other areas such as consistency, where the Russian believed Cesar excelled.

“Cesar is a very reliable goalkeeper and he made some fantastic saves last year,” he commented on his sheet.

This difference in opinion reinforces the technical aspect of the awards, giving those on the panel free reign to cast their vote based on the qualities they value within a player.

As ever, it has been a close contest for each position this year and while no player has ever won the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year award twice, will FC Barcelona’s Lionel Messi be the first?

The votes have been cast and counted for the 2010 awards, now all that awaits is the unveiling of the winners.

LEoNArdo (AC milan*)

José moUriNho (FC internazionale milano*)

mANUEL pELLEgriNi (real madrid CF*)

CEsArE prANdELLi (ACF Fiorentina*)

CLAUdE pUEL (olympique Lyonnais)

LEoNid sLUtsky (pFC CskA moskva)

LoUis vAN gAAL (FC bayern münchen)

ArsèNE wENgEr (Arsenal FC) * denotes manager no longer with club

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Sir Alex Ferguson voted for Petr Čech, Walter Samuel, Xavi Hernández

and Diego Milito for this year’s awards.

Manchester United FC forward Wayne Rooney impressed

FC Bayern München coach Louis van Gaal with his pace and strength

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How theUEFA Club Football Awards work

Now in its 13th year, the UEFA Club Football Awards utilise the football expertise of the continents’ leading football managers to select the best talent on display in the UEFA Champions League.

Reaching the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League requires perhaps an element of luck, but above all, requires vast knowledge of the European game and tactical nous to outwit your rivals. Without these vital qualities, any manager will struggle to compete among the cut and thrust of European football’s finest club competition and they often separate the winners from the also rans.

It is at this stage when the competition begins to build into a crescendo.

After negotiating safe passage from the group stage, an appearance in the final is not too far away and the favourites to lift the famous trophy are beginning to make themselves known.

It is also at this stage when the panel for the UEFA Club Football Awards is chosen – the managers

of the last 16 competing teams in the competition.

For the UEFA Club Football Awards 2010, each manager was asked to select, in order of preference, their top three players in each category – goalkeeper, defender, midfielder and forward – who were attributed three points, two points and one point respectively by the position they were placed. The compilation of all votes determines the winner in each category.

The coaches were also asked to select their UEFA Club Footballer of the Year from one of their category winners, with the player winning the most votes being named UEFA Club Footballer of the Year.

As is highlighted by the coaches’ voting forms (right), the process often involves an in-depth analysis of a player’s performances throughout the season, highlighting the often noticeable qualities they possess, but also the qualities that perhaps go unnoticed by the untrained eye.

The voting cards give a unique insight to how the elite managers >>

ANALysiNg thE pErFormANCEs oF thEir oppoNENts throUghoUt thE sEAsoN, thE UEFA CLUb FootbALL AwArds ArE votEd For by thE mANAgErs who rEACh thE LAst 16 oF thE UEFA ChAmpioNs LEAgUE

thE UEFA CLUb FootbALL AwArds

2010 pANEL

CArLo ANCELotti (Chelsea FC)

božidAr bANdović (olympiacos FC*)

LAUrENt bLANC (FC girondins de bordeaux*)

sir ALEx FErgUsoN (manchester United FC)

ChristiAN gross (vfb stuttgart)

JosEp gUArdioLA (FC barcelona)

mANUEL JEsUALdo FErrEirA (FC porto*)

mANUEL JiméNEz (sevilla FC*) * denotes manager no longer with club

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Congratulations FelicitationsFootball is a sport built around a team ethic, with players

pulling together for their one common goal of victory. In any team, however, there is always an individual who stands out, a

player whose creative genius or dedication to the cause provides the spark for his team to achieve success.

Such qualities ensure these players stand out from the crowd. It is what separates the truly outstanding players and the UEFA Club Football awards celebrate this.

Voted for by the coaches who negotiated their team’s passage to the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League last term, the awards bestow that great honour on the winners of having been selected by their peers.

There is no shortlist when the votes are registered, giving the participating managers licence to cast their vote purely from a technical perspective. The fact these awards often coincide with the wider public’s view of who are the best players in Europe from the preceding season surely only adds to their worth.

The 2010/11 season sees the awards enter their thirteenth year, but in this time only seven players have ever managed to win their category in consecutive seasons. Meanwhile, no player has been voted UEFA Club Footballer of the Year more than once, demonstrating the rare honour it is to collect the award.

This year has seen the talent in each category difficult to separate, particularly for the Best Defender and Best Midfielder awards.

Although there can be only one winner, I would like to congratulate those players who were picked in their categories and wish them luck for the forthcoming season. Michel Platini UEFA President

Le football est un sport animé par l’esprit d’équipe, tous les joueurs joignant leurs efforts pour atteindre un objectif commun, la victoire. Mais, dans chaque équipe, il y a toujours un joueur qui se distingue des

autres, un joueur dont le génie créatif ou le dévouement pour la cause com-mune déclenche l’étincelle qui permet à son équipe de s’imposer.

De telles qualités font que ces joueurs sortent du lot et se montrent véritablement exceptionnels. Les distinctions des clubs de football de l’UEFA récompensent justement ces joueurs.

Attribuées sur la base des votes des entraîneurs des seize équipes qui ont disputé la phase à élimination directe de la dernière

édition de l’UEFA Champions League, ces distinctions confèrent aux vainqueurs le grand honneur d’avoir été

sélectionnés par leurs pairs. L’absence de présélection permet aux entraîneurs partici-

pants de voter sur la base de critères purement techniques. Le fait que ces distinctions coïncident souvent avec l’avis du grand public quant aux meilleurs joueurs de la saison

européenne précédente ne fait qu’augmenter leur valeur.La saison 2010/11 représente la treizième édition au cours

de laquelle ces distinctions sont remises. Pendant cette période, seuls sept joueurs ont réussi à remporter leur catégorie au cours de

deux saisons d’affilée. Aucun joueur n’a toutefois été désigné plus d’une fois Footballeur de l’année dans les compétitions interclubs de l’UEFA, ce qui dénote l’honneur suprême de cette distinction.

Cette année, il a été difficile de départager les talents dans les dif-férentes catégories, en particulier celles du Meilleur défenseur et du Meilleur milieu de terrain.

Bien qu’il ne puisse y avoir qu’un vainqueur par catégorie, j’aimerais féliciter tous les joueurs retenus et leur souhaiter bonne chance pour la saison à venir.

Michel Platini Président de l’UEFA

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ImpressumThis publication has been produced by ProgrammeMaster Ltd on behalf of UEFAGroup Editor: Lee BerryEditor: Garry HayesArt Editor: David BarclayDesign: Guto KingExecutive Editor: Rob Faulkner (UEFA)Special thanks to: Dragan Kosanovic, Matthew Mead (UEFA)Photography: Getty ImagesPrinted by: HPM Group

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