Copenhagen heroes to receive UEFA President’s Award

Tuesday 24 August 2021

The medical team that saved the life of Denmark player Christian Eriksen at UEFA EURO 2020, and Danish national team captain Simon Kjær, are the recipients of the 2021 UEFA President’s Award.

The accolade is a mark of homage for their vital contributions in coming to Eriksen’s aid when the 29-year-old Inter Milan midfielder suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed on the field during Denmark’s UEFA EURO 2020 group stage match against Finland at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen on 12 June.

Thanks to the medical team’s rapid response and expert emergency treatment, Eriksen was resuscitated on the pitch, and is now happily on the road to recovery. Simon Kjær shares the honour for his reaction in immediately helping Eriksen, as well as for the exceptional leadership qualities he displayed.

'True heroes'

UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin described the recipients of the award – which recognises outstanding achievements, professional excellence and exemplary personal qualities – as "the true heroes of EURO 2020. It is indeed a great honour for me to present them with the UEFA President's Award.

"This year, the President’s Award transcends football," he said. "It serves as an important and eternal reminder of just how precious life is and puts everything in our lives into the clearest perspective," he added.

"I would also like to send my very best wishes to Christian Eriksen and his family as he continues his recovery."

Recipients of the 2021 UEFA President’s Award:

On-site medical team
Mogens Kreutzfeldt (chief medical officer)
Frederik Flensted (stadium medical manager)
Anders Boesen (pitchside emergency doctor)
Peder Ersgaard (paramedic)

UEFA Venue Medical Officers
Jens Kleinefeld
Valentin Velikov

Danish national medical team
Morten Skjoldager (physio accompanying the team doctor)
Morten Boesen (team doctor)
Simon Kjær (Denmark national team captain)

A message from Christian Eriksen

"I would like to thank Morten [Skjoldager], Morten [Boesen] and the medical team who helped in Parken on 12 June. You did a fantastic job and saved my life.

"Also a big thanks to my friend and captain Simon and my teammates in the Danish team for your support, both on 12 June and afterwards.

"Thanks to all the fans who have sent messages to me and my family. It means a lot and has given us strength and support. Thank you."

Fitting tribute
This year’s UEFA President's Award serves as a fitting tribute to the medical staff who were on site at the EURO match in Copenhagen, both for their expertise and their application of the specialist training that had prepared them for such an incident.

The medical team responded swiftly, and Eriksen was resuscitated through the deployment of the Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) technique and a defibrillator before he was stretchered off and taken to hospital.

"We rushed to the field to help [Christian] and to do our job," said Mogens Kreutzfeldt, chief medical officer for UEFA EURO 2020 in Copenhagen. "We did what we should, what we were taught, what we were trained to do."

"Everybody knew their role, everybody knew what to do. We were not emotional at the scene. Afterwards, we were, of course, like everybody. We’re very happy and proud of the outcome."

‘Utmost admiration’
"When Christian Eriksen collapsed on the field in Copenhagen," said Aleksander Čeferin. "I, along with millions of other football fans, was deeply shocked and concerned. To everyone’s great joy and relief, Christian’s life was eventually saved thanks to the remarkable professionalism of the medical team."

"I have the utmost admiration for the doctors and medical staff for their outstanding reaction and calmness," Mr Čeferin added. "Attributes which were crucial in Christian’s resuscitation."

Captain’s response

The award also recognises Simon Kjær’s admirable response to the situation. The 32-year-old AC Milan defender was one of the first people to reach Eriksen when he collapsed.

He put Eriksen in the recovery position, started the initial CPR procedure, led the Danish players in forming a protective ring around their teammate while he was being given urgent medical attention, and comforted Eriksen's partner.

"I remain grateful for the exemplary leadership qualities and immense courage that Denmark’s captain, Simon Kjær, displayed in this most critical of situations," said Aleksander Čeferin.

Reacting as a team

Kjær emphasised the Danish team’s unity and solidarity in responding to the situation.

"It's something that will stay with us for the rest of our lives," he said. "The team reacted as a unit…as a team, we made the maximum effort to stick together and try to get through that situation and be as helpful as possible."

"I try to lead the team on and off the pitch, in every aspect of life, as footballers, when we’re together," he added. "I think it's one of the biggest privileges I have in my career."

"I’ve known Christian [Eriksen] for many years," Kjær added. "[He] has a great family, he has a lot of friends, a lot of teammates that want the best for him. As long as he’s happy and his family is good, I’m happy."

Champions League positional award nominees announced
Friday 13 August 2021

There are three players nominated for each of the four 2020/21 UEFA Champions League positional awards: best goalkeeper, defender, midfielder and forward.

Winners Chelsea and runners-up Manchester City dominate the positional award shortlists for the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League season.

Five Chelsea players make the cut, while three Man. City men take the Premier League contingent to eight. Real Madrid, Dortmund, Bayern and Paris Saint-Germain are also represented.

Positional award nominees for the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League

Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid), Ederson (Manchester City), Edouard Mendy (Chelsea)

Defenders: César Azpilicueta (Chelsea), Rúben Dias (Manchester City), Antonio Rüdiger (Chelsea)

Midfielders: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Jorginho (Chelsea), N'Golo Kanté (Chelsea)

Forwards: Erling Haaland (Dortmund), Robert Lewandowski (Bayern), Kylian Mbappé (Paris)

What are these awards?

These accolades were introduced in 2016/17 to recognise the season's best player in each position in Europe's premier club competition. This year's winners will be named – along with the UEFA Men's Player of the Year and UEFA Women's Player of the Year – during the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League group stage draw in Istanbul, Turkey on Thursday 26 August. The 2020/21 UEFA Europa League Player of the Season will be announced the following day.

Player rankings (4 to 10)

Goalkeepers

4 Keylor Navas (Paris) – 50 points
5 Manuel Neuer (Bayern) – 36 points
6 Jan Oblak (Atlético) – 35 points
7 Gianluigi Donnarumma (Milan, now at Paris) – 20 points
8 Marc-André ter Stegen (Barcelona) – 13 points
9 Agustín Marchesín (Porto) – 4 points
= Alisson Becker (Liverpool) – 4 points


Defenders

4 Marquinhos (Paris) – 78 points
5 Thiago Silva (Chelsea) – 59 points
6 Kyle Walker (Man. City) – 35 points
7 Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus) – 18 points
8 John Stones (Man. City) – 15 points
9 David Alaba (Bayern, now at Real Madrid) – 14 points
= Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus) – 14 points

Midfielders

4 Ilkay Gündogan (Man. City) – 15 points
= Mason Mount (Chelsea) – 15 points
6 Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona) – 9 points
= Luka Modrić (Real Madrid) – 9 points
8 Pedri (Barcelona) – 6 points
9 Georginio Wijnaldum (Liverpool, now at Paris) – 5 points
= Kai Havertz (Chelsea) – 5 points

Forwards

4 Lionel Messi (Barcelona, now at Paris) – 76 points
5 Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) – 70 points
6 Neymar (Paris) – 23 points
7 Kai Havertz (Chelsea) – 16 points
= Raheem Sterling (Man. City) – 16 points
9 Mason Mount (Chelsea) – 6 points
= Romelu Lukaku (Inter) – 6 points


How the players were shortlisted

The jury comprised the coaches of the 32 clubs in the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League group stage, together with 55 journalists selected by the European Sports Media (ESM) group, one from every UEFA member association. 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.

Women's Champions League positional awards nominees announced

Friday 13 August 2021

There are three players nominated for each of the four 2020/21 UEFA Women's Champions League positional awards: best goalkeeper, defender, midfielder and forward.

The nominees have been announced for the second UEFA Women's Champions League positional awards, with the winners to be revealed in Istanbul on 26 August.

Barcelona won the European title for the first time in May and provide seven of the 12 nominees, including all three forwards and two of the midfielders. Runners-up Chelsea have three shortlisted players while the other two nominees were with Paris Saint-Germain last season – though both are at new clubs now: Christiane Endler (Lyon) and Irene Paredes (Barcelona).

None of the four players who claimed the inaugural awards last year – goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi, defender Wendie Renard, midfielder Dzsenifer Marozsán and forward Pernille Harder – are shortlisted this time round, though they all finished in the top ten in the voting for their respective positions.

Positional award nominees for the 2019/20 UEFA Women's Champions League

Goalkeeper: Ann-Katrin Berger (Chelsea), Christiane Endler (Paris Saint-Germain), Sandra Paños (Barcelona)

Defender: Magdalena Eriksson (Chelsea), Mapi Léon (Barcelona), Irene Paredes (Paris Saint-Germain)

Midfielder: Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona), Ji So-yun (Chelsea), Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)

Forward: Caroline Graham Hansen (Barcelona), Jenni Hermoso (Barcelona), Lieke Martens (Barcelona)


What are these awards?

They were introduced in 2019/20, following on from the similar accolades initiated for the UEFA Champions League in 2016/17 to recognise the season's best players in each position in Europe's top men's club competition.

This year's winners will be named – along with the UEFA Women's Player and Coach of the Year, UEFA Men's Player and Coach of the Year and the UEFA Champions League positional awards – during the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League group stage draw in Istanbul, Turkey, on Thursday 26 August. The 2020/21 UEFA Europa League Player of the Season will be announced the following day.

Player rankings (4 to 10)


Goalkeepers

4 Ellie Roebuck (Manchester City) – 8 points
5 Sarah Bouhaddi (Lyon) – 4 points
6 Katarzyna Kiedrzynek (Wolfsburg) – 3 points
7 Pauline Peyraud-Magnin (Atlético) – 1 point


Defenders

4 Ashley Lawrence (Paris Saint-Germain) – 29 points
5 Marina Hegering (Bayern München) – 24 points
6 Wendie Renard (Lyon) – 16 points
7 Marta Torrejón (Barcelona) – 9 points
8 Millie Bright (Chelsea) – 6 points
9= Laia Aleixandri (Barcelona) – 3 points
9= Lucy Bronze (Manchester City) – 3 points


Midfielders

4 Sam Mewis (Manchester City) – 14 points
5 Sara Däbritz (Paris Saint-Germain) – 12 points
6= Patri Guijarro (Barcelona) – 11 points
6= Sophie Ingle (Chelsea) – 11 points
8 Kheira Hamraoui (Barcelona) – 9 points
9 Grace Geyoro (Paris Saint-Germain) – 7 points
10 Dzsenifer Marozsán (Lyon) – 6 points


Forwards

4 Fran Kirby (Chelsea) – 34 points
5 Pernille Harder (Chelsea) – 25 points
6 Sam Kerr (Chelsea) – 21 points
7 Lauren Hemp (Manchester City) – 10 points
8 Marie-Antoinette Katoto (Paris Saint-Germain) – 6 points
9= Kadidiatou Diani (Paris Saint-Germain) – 3 points
9= Asisat Oshoala (Barcelona) – 3 points

Clubs listed those for who players took the pitch during the 2020/21 UEFA Women's Champions League (i.e. not including as unused substitute). Where players took the pitch for more than one club during the competition, the later team is listed first.

How the players were shortlisted

For the women’s positional awards, the shortlist of three players was selected by a jury composed of the coaches of the clubs that participated in the 2020/21 UEFA Women’s Champions League round of 16. Twenty journalists specialising in women’s football and selected by the ESM group were also part of the jury.

Coaches and journalists were requested to select a shortlist of three players by 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.

naptu2:
The nominees for Men's Player of the Year are:

Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City and Belgium),

Jorginho (Chelsea and Italy),

N'Golo Kanté (Chelsea and France).

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The rest of the top ten

4 Lionel Messi (Barcelona, now at Paris & Argentina) – 148 points

5 Robert Lewandowski (Bayern & Poland) – 140 points

6 Gianluigi Donnarumma (AC Milan, now at Paris & Italy) – 49 points

7 Kylian Mbappé (Paris & France) – 31 points

8 Raheem Sterling (Man. City & England) – 18 points

9 Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus & Portugal) – 16 points

10 Erling Haaland (Dortmund & Norway) – 15 points