UEFA have shortlisted 21 players for the their annual Club Football Awards to be held in Monaco on Thursday.
In the Best Goalkeeper category, Gianluigi Buffon is up against Liverpool Jerzy Dudek and Chelsea’s Petr Cech, one of three Chelsea players on the list.
Club captain John Terry is nominated in the Best Defender category, while his England team-mate Frank Lampard is one of seven candidates up for the Best Midfielder award.
Despite their Champions League final defeat by Liverpool, Milan provide six players on the list – the most nominees from any club.
The Best Midfielder of 2002, Michael Ballack of Bayern Munich is a contender for the award again, although he faces stiff competition to claim the title for a second time.
Similarly, former winner of the Best Forward category, Andrii Shevchenko, faces strong competition from the likes of Brazilian pair Ronaldinho, of Barcelona, and Internazionale’s Adriano.
All 21 nominees from the four categories are in contention for the Most Valuable Player award, which will also be announced at the awards ceremony
2005 UEFA Club Football Awards
Best Goalkeeper nominees
Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus FC)
Petr Cech (Chelsea FC)
Jerzy Dudek (Liverpool FC)
Best Defender nominees
Cafu (Milan)
Jamie Carragher (Liverpool)
Sami Hyypiä (Liverpool)
Paolo Maldini (Milan)
Alessandro Nesta (Milan)
John Terry (Chelsea)
Best Midfielder nominees
Michael Ballack (Bayern Munich)
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
Kaka (Milan)
Juninho Pernambucano (Lyon)
Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
Andrea Pirlo (Milan)
Mark van Bommel (PSV Eindhoven, now Barcelona)
Best Forward nominees
Adriano (Internazionale)
Samuel Eto’o (Barcelona)
Ji-Sung Park (PSV Eindhoven, now Manchester United)
Ronaldinho (Barcelona)
Andrii Shevchenko (Milan)
