Champions League group stage draw made in Monaco
The 2018/19 UEFA Champions League group stage draw has been made in Monaco, with highlights including Real Madrid v Roma, Paris v Liverpool, Juventus v Manchester United and Atlético v Dortmund.
2018/19 UEFA Champions League group stage
Group A: Atlético Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Monaco, Club Brugge
Group B: Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur, PSV Eindhoven, Internazionale Milano
Group C: Paris Saint-Germain, Napoli, Liverpool, Crvena zvezda
Group D: Lokomotiv Moskva, Porto, Schalke, Galatasaray
Group E: Bayern München, Benfica, Ajax, AEK Athens
Group F: Manchester City, Shakhtar Donetsk, Lyon, Hoffenheim
Group G: Real Madrid, Roma, CSKA Moskva, Viktoria Plzeň
Group H: Juventus, Manchester United, Valencia, Young Boys
Road to Madrid
Group stage
Matchday one: 18/19 September
Matchday two: 2/3 October
Matchday three: 23/24 October
Matchday four: 6/7 November
Matchday five: 27/28 November
Matchday six: 11/12 December
Round of 16
Draw: 17 December
First legs: 12/13 & 19/20 February
Second legs: 5/6 & 12/13 March
Quarter-finals
Draw: 15 March
First legs: 9/10 April
Second legs: 16/17 April
Semi-finals and final
Draw: 15 March
Semi-finals, first legs: 30 April / 1 May
Semi-finals, second legs: 7/8 May
Final (Estadio Metropolitano, Madrid): 1 June
The official result of the #UCLdraw! ?
Toughest group? ? pic.twitter.com/G6rPKtQuU8
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 30, 2018
 The UCL 2018 complete draw |
Guram Kashia wins #EqualGame award
Guram Kashia has been presented with the #EqualGame award for his courageous public stand for equality ?️???❤️
Here’s what he had to say… pic.twitter.com/JAt1r7MGR8
— UEFA (@UEFA) August 30, 2018
Luka Modrić wins UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award
Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modrić has been named UEFA Men’s Player of the Year for 2017/18.
Modrić beat off competition from former Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo and Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, who joined him on the three-man shortlist announced on 20 August. The Croatian international received the trophy on stage in Monaco during the UEFA Champions League group stage draw. He was also named UEFA Champions League Midfielder of the Season.
Man of the moment, Luka Modrić!
? Champions League
? Midfielder of the Season
? Player of the Year #UCLdraw pic.twitter.com/rLt9AoR37r— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 30, 2018
The top ten
Modrić beat off competition from Ronaldo and Salah
1 Luka Modrić (Real Madrid & Croatia) – 313 points
2 Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus/Real Madrid & Portugal) – 223 points
3 Mohamed Salah (Liverpool & Egypt) – 134 points
4 Antoine Griezmann (Atlético & France) – 72 points
5 Lionel Messi (Barcelona & Argentina) – 55 points
6 Kylian Mbappé (Paris & France) – 43 points
7 Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City & Belgium) – 28 points
8 Raphaël Varane (Real Madrid & France) – 23 points
9 Eden Hazard (Chelsea & Belgium) – 15 points
10 Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid & Spain) – 12 points
? UEFA Men’s Player of the Year 17/18 ?
? Congratulations, Luka Modrić! ?#UEFAawards #UCLdraw pic.twitter.com/6xSHck2v7d
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 30, 2018
Why did Modrić win the vote?
Modrić’s understated class was more evident than ever last season, the diminutive midfielder helping Madrid to a third straight UEFA Champions League title before then guiding his country to their first FIFA World Cup final. Though the 32-year-old is neither a prolific goalscorer nor an outright defensive shield, his dynamism and quality in possession set him apart.
“Always available to receive the ball, he is incredibly important to how the champions want to play,” said the UEFA Technical Observers when selecting Modrić in the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season.
Season in numbers
Honours: UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Spanish Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, FIFA World Cup runner-up
Modrić also claimed the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball for his performances for Croatia in Russia this summer.
UEFA Champions League
Appearances: 11
Goals: 1
Assists: 1
Domestic League
Appearances: 26
Goals: 1
International
Appearances: 16
Goals: 3
How Modrić was chosen
The jury comprised the 80 coaches of the clubs that participated in the group stages of the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League (32) and UEFA Europa League (48), along with 55 journalists chosen by the European Sports Media (ESM) group, representing each of UEFA’s member associations.
Jury members picked their top three players, with the first receiving five points, the second three and the third one. Coaches were not allowed to vote for players from their own team.
Modrić testimonials
“He is a player who has a very different talent, he improves anyone who is around him. It shows when he is not on the field – Madrid are a different team without Luka.” – Croatia team-mate Ivan Rakitić
“Even if we leave trophies aside, the way he plays and the way he dominates for Real Madrid is impressive.” – Former Madrid and Croatia midfielder Robert Prosinečki
“It’s not easy to stop Modrić because he’s such a clever player – he can read the game so well and can play in many different areas.”- Former Madrid manager José Mourinho
? WINNER ?
? @lukamodric10
? @realmadrid
?? @HNS_CFF #UEFAawards #UCLdraw pic.twitter.com/l0JxMnAEXw— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 30, 2018
What is the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award?
The award recognises the best players, irrespective of nationality, playing for a club within the territory of a UEFA member association during the past season. Players are judged on their performances in all competitions – domestic, continental and international.
Roll of honour
2017/18 ─ Luka Modrić (Real Madrid & Croatia)
2016/17 ─ Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid & Portugal)
2015/16 ─ Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid & Portugal)
2014/15 ─ Lionel Messi (Barcelona & Argentina)
2013/14 ─ Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid & Portugal)
2012/13 ─ Franck Ribéry (Bayern & France)
2011/12 ─ Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona & Spain)
2010/11 ─ Lionel Messi (Barcelona & Argentina)
*Known as the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award from 2010/11 to 2016/17 inclusive.
Pernille Harder wins UEFA Women’s Player of the Year award
Pernille Harder of Wolfsburg and Denmark has won the 2017/18 UEFA Women’s Player of the Year award.
Harder, the sixth different winner of the award in its six-year history, finished ahead of fellow nominees Ada Hegerberg and Amandine Henry in the voting conducted by a panel of leading coaches and journalists. Hegerberg and Henry were two of seven players to make the top ten from UEFA Women’s Champions League winners Lyon.
The top ten
1 Pernille Harder (Wolfsburg & Denmark) – 106 points
2 Ada Hegerberg (Lyon) – 61 points
3 Amandine Henry (Portland Thorns/Lyon & France) – 41 points
4 Dzsenifer Marozsán (Lyon & Germany) – 32 points
5 Lucy Bronze (Lyon & England) – 20 points
6 Lieke Martens (Barcelona & Netherlands) – 17 points
7 Wendie Renard (Lyon & France) – 16 points
8 Fran Kirby (Chelsea & England) – 15 points
9 Eugénie Le Sommer (Lyon & France) – 13 points
10 Shanice van de Sanden (Lyon & Netherlands) – 7 points
Why Harder won
Close to pipping Lieke Martens to last year’s award after captaining Denmark to their first UEFA Women’s EURO final, the 25-year-old striker spearheaded Wolfsburg’s run to the UEFA Women’s Champions League final – even giving her side an extra-time lead in Kyiv before Lyon came back to win.
Harder also inspired another German double for Wolfsburg with her versatile forward play, top-scoring in the Frauen-Bundesliga, as well as keeping Denmark in contention to reach the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup (their latest qualifier on Thursday meant she could not be present at the awards ceremony in Monaco and accepted the honour via a video message).
Harder reaction
“I am extremely proud and honoured to receive this award, as I have always dreamed of playing at the highest level since I was a young kid. I would like to thank in particular my family for their support, as well as my team-mates, coaches and staff from the national team.”
2017/18 honours: German League winner, German Cup winner, UEFA Women’s Champions League runner-up
Previous award finishes: 2nd (2017)
Stats
Domestic league
Appearances: 21
Goals: 17
UEFA Women’s Champions League
Appearances: 8
Goals: 8
Assists: 6
FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifying
Appearances: 5
Goals: 5
Assists: 3
Roll of honour
2017/18 ─ Pernille Harder (Wolfsburg & Denmark)
2016/17 ─ Lieke Martens (Rosengård/Barcelona & Netherlands)
2015/16 ─ Ada Hegerberg (Lyon & Norway)
2014/15 ─ Célia Šašić (FFC Frankfurt & Germany)
2013/14 ─ Nadine Kessler (Wolfsburg & Germany)
2012/13 ─ Nadine Angerer (FFC Frankfurt & Germany)
How the award worked
The UEFA Women’s Player of the Year prize recognises the best players, irrespective of nationality, who played for a club within the territory of a UEFA member association during the past season. Players are judged on their performances in all club and national team competitions.
The coaches of the eight clubs that reached the quarter-finals of the 2017/18 UEFA Women’s Champions League, the coaches of the 12 highest-ranked teams in the latest UEFA women’s national team rankings and 20 journalists specialising in women’s football (decided by the ESM group) formed the jury.
The 40-strong panel each selected a shortlist of three players, allocating respectively five points, three points and one point to each of them. The final result was based on the total number of votes cast by the coaches and the journalists. The coaches were not allowed to vote for players from their own team.
Cristiano Ronaldo: Champions League Forward of the Season
Cristiano Ronaldo has been named UEFA Champions League Forward of the Season for the second year running.
The 33-year-old, now with Juventus, enjoyed yet another exceptional campaign for Real Madrid in 2017/18. Not only did he win a third successive UEFA Champions League title – and a record fifth overall – he also top-scored in the competition for a sixth straight season.
Bravo. @Cristiano! ?#UEFAawards #UCLdraw pic.twitter.com/D2Q0GTM240
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 30, 2018
Forward of the Season top ten
1 Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus/Real Madrid) – 287 points
2 Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) – 218 points
3 Lionel Messi (Barcelona) – 43 points
4 Kylian Mbappé (Paris) – 17 points
5= Edin Džeko (Roma), Harry Kane (Tottenham) – 15 points
7 Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) – 13 points
8= Gareth Bale (Real Madrid), Antoine Griezmann (Atlético), Sadio Mané (Liverpool) – 12 points
Ronaldo’s season in numbers
Honours: UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Spanish Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup
Individual accolades: UEFA Champions League Forward of the Season, UEFA.com Fans’ Team of the Year 2017, UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season
Champions League
Appearances: 13
Minutes: 1,170
Goals: 15
Assists: 3
Ronaldo testimonials
“Cristiano is the best player in the history of football. There are lots of players, for example at this club, who have made history, but nobody has achieved what he’s achieved. The numbers speak for themselves and they’re incredible.” – Former Madrid coach Zinédine Zidane
“Your goals, your numbers and everything we’ve won together speak for themselves. You have earned a special place in the history of Real Madrid.” – Former Madrid team-mate Sergio Ramos
How Ronaldo was chosen
These awards were introduced last year to recognise the season’s best player in each position in Europe’s premier club competition. The jury comprised the coaches of the 32 clubs in the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League group stage, together with 55 journalists selected by the European Sports Media (ESM) group, representing each of UEFA’s member associations. Coaches were not allowed to vote for players from their own teams.
Jury members chose their top three players per position, with the first receiving five points, the second three and the third one. The three players who got the most points in each category made up the final shortlist.
Luka Modrić: Champions League Midfielder of the Season
UEFA Men’s Player of the Year Luka Modrić has also retained his UEFA Champions League Midfielder of the Season crown.
Modrić picked up this latest accolade on stage in Monaco during the 2018/19 group stage draw. It seals a memorable time for the 32-year-old, who has enjoyed an especially productive last few months. Already a newly crowned European champion with Real Madrid, in July he collected the FIFA Golden Ball for best player at this summer’s World Cup, having helped Croatia to their first ever final.
? 2017/18 #UCL Midfielder of the Season!
⭐️ Luka Modrić ???#UEFAawards #UCLdraw pic.twitter.com/T8RggiRIG2
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 30, 2018
Midfielder of the Season top ten
1 Luka Modrić (Real Madrid) – 347 points
2 Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) – 114 points
3 Toni Kroos (Real Madrid) – 69 points
4 Casemiro (Real Madrid) – 40 points
5 James Milner (Liverpool) – 18 points
6 Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona, now Vissel Kobe) – 16 points
7 Ivan Rakitić (Barcelona) – 9 points
8= Isco (Real Madrid), Sadio Mané (Liverpool), Miralem Pjanić (Juventus), James Rodríguez (Bayern) – 6 points
Modrić’s season in numbers
Honours: UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Spanish Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, FIFA World Cup runner-up
Individual accolades: UEFA Men’s Player of the Year, UEFA Champions League Defender of the Season, FIFA Golden Ball, UEFA.com Fans’ Team of the Year 2017, UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season
Modrić also won the FIFA Golden Ball this summer
Champions League
Appearances: 11
Minutes: 958
Goals: 1
Assists: 1
Modrić testimonials
“Is he the best midfield player in the world right now? That performance today was stunning. He receives the ball in tight areas, he gets pressed by three or four people, but he’s so calm, collected and cool under pressure.”
Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard after the UEFA Champions League final
“He is a player who has a very different talent, he improves anyone who is around him. It shows when he is not on the field – Madrid are a different team without Luka.”
Croatia team-mate Ivan Rakitić
How Modrić was chosen
These awards were introduced last year to recognise the season’s best player in each position in Europe’s premier club competition. The jury comprised the coaches of the 32 clubs in the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League group stage, together with 55 journalists selected by the European Sports Media (ESM) group, representing each of UEFA’s member associations. Coaches were not allowed to vote for players from their own teams.
Jury members chose their top three players per position, with the first receiving five points, the second three and the third one. The three players who got the most points in each category made up the final shortlist.
Congrats, @SergioRamos! ?#UEFAawards #UCLdraw pic.twitter.com/CoJMacg6LB
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 30, 2018
Keylor Navas: Champions League Goalkeeper of the Season
Keylor Navas has been named UEFA Champions League Goalkeeper of the Season for 2017/18.
The Real Madrid keeper picked up the award on stage in Monaco during the 2018/19 group stage draw. The accolade capped a memorable campaign for the 31-year-old, who played all but two games of Madrid’s third straight UEFA Champions League triumph. He had started the season with wins in the UEFA Super Cup and Spanish Super Cup, and ended it between the posts with Costa Rica at the FIFA World Cup.
Bravo, @NavasKeylor! ?#UEFAawards #UCLdraw pic.twitter.com/NR4Jk7kLnt
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 30, 2018
Goalkeeper of the Season top ten
1 Keylor Navas (Real Madrid) – 222 points
2 Alisson Becker (Liverpool/Roma) – 197 points
3 Gianluigi Buffon (Paris/Juventus) – 92 points
4 Marc-André ter Stegen (Barcelona) – 47 points
5 Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea, now Real Madrid) – 28 points
6 Ederson (Manchester City) – 26 points
7 Hugo Lloris (Tottenham) – 18 points
8 Jan Oblak (Atlético) – 16 points
9 David de Gea (Manchester United) – 7 points
10 Sven Ulreich (Bayern) – 5 points
Navas’ season in numbers
Honours: UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Spanish Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup
Individual accolades: UEFA Champions League Goalkeeper of the Season, UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season
Champions League
Appearances: 11
Minutes: 990
Clean sheets: 2
Goals conceded: 13
Navas testimonials
“Keepers stand up to be counted in big games like these. It was a difficult second leg and he gave us so much, he gave us life.”
Former coach Zinédine Zidane after Madrid beat Bayern in last season’s semi-finals
“He’s a keeper that I love. He’s won three consecutive Champions League titles, earned us lots of points and ensured we win games – but above all I’d praise him as a person.”
Team-mate Dani Carvajal
How Navas was chosen
These awards were introduced last year to recognise the season’s best player in each position in Europe’s premier club competition. The jury comprised the coaches of the 32 clubs in the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League group stage, together with 55 journalists selected by the European Sports Media (ESM) group, representing each of UEFA’s member associations. Coaches were not allowed to vote for players from their own teams.
Jury members chose their top three players per position, with the first receiving five points, the second three and the third one. The three players who got the most points in each category made up the final shortlist. Buffon was named Goalkeeper of the Season for 2016/17.
Vincent Kompany, Manchester City captain says:
“I’m looking forward to getting back in the competition for sure. Last year we were ready to do more in the Champions League and we faced a team that was naturally a difficult opponent for us [Liverpool]. We’ve got a feeling that we can do better in it this season.
“We’re looking forward to the challenge. It’s everyone’s ambition to go that step further but it’s incredibly. Every day we work and every week we work so that we can at least relive some of those moments we lived last season and do better in the Champions League.”
6 awards going to who?
That’s one of six UEFA awards that will be handed out during the draw ceremony.
: Alisson Becker, Gianluigi Buffon, Keylor Navas
: Marcelo, Sergio Ramos, Raphaël Varane
: Kevin De Bruyne, Toni Kroos, Luka Modrić
: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mohamed Salah
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