Franck Ribéry wins UEFA Best Player in Europe Award 2012/13

Award presented at Monaco ceremony

On the occasion of a special ceremony that was held tonight in Monaco during the 2013/14 UEFA Champions League group stage draw, FC Bayern München player Franck Ribéry was voted the winner of the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award for the season 2012/13.

The French international claimed a total of 36 votes, leaving in second place FC Barcelona striker Lionel Messi with 14 votes and in third place Real Madrid CF striker Cristiano Ronaldo with three votes.

For this award, players were judged on their performances during the 2012/13 campaign in all competitions, both domestic and international, and at club and national team levels.

The jury was composed of fifty-three renowned sports journalists representing each of the UEFA member national associations. The journalists voted live, via an electronic voting system*, in order to determine the final winner amongst the last three nominees.

Receiving the award on stage from the hands of UEFA President Michel Platini, 30-year-old Franck Ribéry said:

"It's always nice to win this trophy; it's a special moment for me to be here this evening. I want to thank all my team-mates and the directors at Bayern, and the supporters. We've had a fantastic year, and a big hello to all my family, my children and my wife."

"It’s recognition for the work that you have done well, and that people are proud and have faith in what you do. And that is really nice, and very important for a player”.

"It was an extraordinary year for us, we'd wanted that trophy for so long and to play at Wembley was fantastic. I think Bayern deserved to win the cup after such a long time."

Full details of the voting results can be found on UEFA.com.

* 52 of the 53 journalists attended the draw in Monaco, with the vote from the journalist representing Lithuania cast by telephone to the independent auditors, Ernst & Young.