August 7 – Gareth Bale may be the subject of a world record transfer bid from Real Madrid but the Tottenham Hotspur star has failed to make a significant enough impression to place him in the running for UEFA’s Best Player in Europe award.
Bale has failed to make the last three with Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribery joining usual suspects Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo after the original shortlist of 10 was further reduced.
The winner will be decided after another round of voting, open to select journalists from UEFA’s member associations, on August 29.
Bale came eighth after the second round of voting with Robin van Persie, who scored 26 times to help Manchester United regain the title last season, the only other Premier League player in the top ten.
Last season, Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta, who helped Spain win Euro 2012, picked up the main prize.
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