Xavi Hernández, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will contest the inaugural UEFA Best Player in Europe Award tonight.

The final three will now go into a deciding vote in Monaco during the UEFA Champions League group stage draw tonight. Xavi and Messi helped Barcelona to Liga and European glory, the latter scoring 53 goals in 55 club appearances, including 31 in the Spanish top flight and a record-equalling 12 in the UEFA Champions League. Yet it was Ronaldo who picked up the ESM Golden Shoe, registering an incredible 40 Liga goals for second-placed Madrid.

The 53 journalists will vote live, via an electronic system, for their best player from the shortlist of three, to determine the winner. Positions four to ten are already fixed after each journalist provided a list of their three best-ranked players, with the first player receiving five points, the second three points and the third one point:

4 Andrés Iniesta (ESP) – FC Barcelona (33 points)
5 Falcao (COL) – FC Porto (17)
6 Wayne Rooney (ENG) – Manchester United FC (15)
7 Nemanja Vidić (SRB) – Manchester United FC (5)
8 Zlatan Ibrahimović (SWE) – AC Milan (4)
9 Gerard Piqué (ESP) – FC Barcelona (4)
10 Manuel Neuer (GER) – FC Schalke 04* (3)
* has since joined FC Bayern Münche

Who do you think will win the contest Xavi, Messi or Ronaldo !!