Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to fight it out for UEFA's Best Player in Europe

THE TOP 30 PLAYERS IN EUROPE AS CHOSEN BY JOURNALISTS

The list is compiled by journalists from each of the 55 countries in UEFA, who rank their top five players in Europe for the last season.

The top 10 will be whittled down to three next month, with a jury to decide who will take the crown, last won by Lionel Messi.

Lionel Messi and Ronaldo are expected to battle for the crown, with the latter thought to have the edge after his side won Euro 2016, albeit with the Real Madrid star playing almost no part in the final because of an injury picked up early on. 

Seven of the top 10 play their club football in Spain, with four Real Madrid stars and only two from Barcelona, while veteran Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon is Serie A's only representative.

There is no room for any Premier League player in the list of nominees, with Leicester's title winning heroes Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy 11th and 12th, and Chelsea's new signing N'Golo Kante in 17th.

Dimitri Payet, who impressed for West Ham and France this year, is 13th, while Manchester United's new signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic is 18th.

Top 10 (alphabetical order)

Gareth Bale (Real Madrid & Wales)

Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus & Italy)

Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid & France)

Toni Kroos (Real Madrid & Germany)

Lionel Messi (Barcelona & Argentina)

Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich & Germany)

Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich & Germany)

Pepe (Real Madrid & Portugal)

Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid & Portugal)

Luis Suarez (Barcelona & Uruguay)

Best of the rest 

11 Riyad Mahrez (Leicester & Algeria)

12 Jamie Vardy (Leicester & England)

13 Dimitri Payet (West Ham & France)

14 Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich & Germany)

15 Arturo Vidal (Bayern Munich & Chile)

16 Luka Modric (Real Madrid & Croatia)

17 N'Golo Kantc (Leicester & France)

18 Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Paris Saint-Germain/Manchester United & Sweden)

19= Eden Hazard (Chelsea & Belgium)

19= Andres Iniesta (Barcelona & Spain)

19= Neymar (Barcelona & Brazil)

19= Renato Sanches (Benfica/Bayern Munich & Portugal)

23 Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich & Poland)

24 Gonzalo Higuain (Napoli & Argentina)

25= Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus & Italy)

25= Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid & Uruguay)

25= Will Grigg (Wigan & Northern Ireland)

25= Hugo Lloris (Tottenham & France)

25= Paul Pogba (Juventus & France)

30= Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham & Belgium)

30= Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund & Gabon)

30= Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City & Belgium)

30= Kevin Gameiro (Sevilla & France)

30= Grzegorz Krychowiak (Sevilla/Paris Saint-Germain & Poland)

30= Blaise Matuidi (Paris Saint-Germain & France)

30= Georges-Kevin N'Koudou (Marseille & France)

30= Jan Oblak (Atlético Madrid & Slovenia)