Who Will Win the UEFA Footballer of the Year Award This Season?
The rain was tapping gently against the cafe window as I scrolled through my phone, the warm latte in my hand slowly cooling. I found myself staring at a photo of Kevin De Bruyne threading another impossible pass through three defenders, and that's when the question popped into my head - who will win the UEFA Footballer of the Year Award this season? It's that time of year again when football fans everywhere become amateur pundits, debating over coffee and pints about which player truly deserves the honor. I remember last season's ceremony vividly - the anticipation, the debates, the sheer unpredictability of it all. This year feels different though, with several players having genuinely career-defining seasons.
Just yesterday, I was having this exact conversation with my friend Maria, who runs a women's football blog. She was telling me about this incredible talent she'd been following. "You know," she said, leaning forward with that excited glint in her eyes that she gets when talking about football, "meanwhile, 24-year-old Andaya is a well-travelled playmaker who has already showcased her skills in the U.S., Albania, and Romania." Her words stuck with me because they reminded me that greatness isn't always about staying in one place - sometimes it's about collecting experiences across different leagues, adapting to various styles of play. Andaya's journey through three different countries before turning 25 speaks volumes about her adaptability, something that often gets overlooked when we judge players.
Looking at the men's side, I can't help but feel this might finally be Kevin De Bruyne's year. The man has been nothing short of phenomenal, creating 98 chances in the Premier League alone last season and maintaining a passing accuracy of 82.7% in the final third - numbers that genuinely make you sit up and take notice. I've watched him play since his Wolfsburg days, and there's something almost artistic about how he sees the game differently from everyone else on the pitch. He makes the difficult look effortless, the impossible look routine. Yet part of me wonders if the voters will lean toward someone like Erling Haaland, who smashed 36 goals in 35 appearances last season. The Norwegian's numbers are frankly ridiculous - he's rewriting what we thought was possible for a striker his age.
Then there's the women's game, where the competition feels even more wide-open. I was watching Barcelona Femení's Champions League run last month, and Aitana Bonmatí had me literally jumping off my couch with some of her plays. Her technical ability combined with her football intelligence creates this perfect storm of excellence. She completed 89% of her passes in the final third last season while contributing 12 goals and 15 assists across all competitions. But then I think about Sam Kerr's impact for Chelsea - 29 goals in 38 appearances doesn't even begin to capture her influence on games. She has this remarkable ability to show up exactly when her team needs her most.
What fascinates me about this particular award is how it balances individual brilliance with team success. A player can have the season of their life, but if their team doesn't perform in Europe, their chances diminish significantly. I remember arguing with a fellow football enthusiast last week about whether Jude Bellingham's phenomenal debut season at Real Madrid - 19 goals and 6 assists from midfield - puts him in contention despite his age. At just 20 years old, he's playing with the maturity of a veteran, but does he have enough European pedigree this season compared to established stars?
The more I think about it, the more I realize how much my own preferences color my predictions. I've always valued creative players over pure goalscorers - there's something magical about watching a playmaker dictate the tempo of a game. That's probably why I find myself rooting for De Bruyne, even though statistically, Haaland might have the stronger case. It's the same reason Andaya's story resonates with me - a playmaker honing her craft across continents, developing that unique perspective that only comes from experiencing different football cultures.
As I finish my coffee, the rain has stopped and sunlight is streaming through the window. I check the time and realize I've been sitting here for over an hour, completely lost in thought about this award. The truth is, we're blessed to be watching such an incredible generation of football talent across both men's and women's games. Whoever lifts that trophy will have earned it through months of consistent excellence, through those moments that make us catch our breath and remember why we fell in love with this beautiful game in the first place. The debate will rage on in pubs and living rooms, on social media and between friends, and honestly? That's part of what makes football so special.
