Kevin De Bruyne nominated for UEFA Men's Player of the Year award

Kevin De Bruyne has been nominated alongside a Real Madrid duo for the 2021/22 UEFA Men's Player of the Year award, it has been confirmed.

The Manchester City playmaker won his fourth Premier League title in the last five seasons during the previous campaign, and now also stands as the current longest-serving player at the Etihad Stadium.

Following yet another staggering individual campaign from the Belgium international midfielder, De Bruyne has been recognised once again at the very top of the game.

This week, it has been confirmed that Kevin De Bruyne is among the final three nominees for UEFA's Men's Player of the Year award for the 2021/22 season.

Kevin De Bruyne (left) celebrates scoring their side's third goal of the game and completing his hat-trick during the Premier League match at the Molineux.

Alongside the Manchester City star are two representatives from Champions League winners, and the team that knocked Pep Guardiola's side out at the semi-final stage last season, Real Madrid.

Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is alongside Karim Benzema, joining Kevin De Bruyne on a three-man shortlist for the award.

The aforementioned duo went the whole way in the Champions League.

After beating Manchester City over two-legs via a dramatic ending at the Santiago Bernabeu, the La Liga giants went past Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool in the French capital to claim the title.

Across all competitions in the 2021/22 season, Kevin De Bruyne registered a staggering 45 appearances for Manchester City.

Those appearances also brought about an even more impressive 19 goals and a further 14 assists to the Belgian's name, with 15 of such goals coming in the Premier League, as well as eight of his assists.

De Bruyne will be hoping to go one step further in Europe's premier club competition this season, especially alongside some of his new teammates in blue.

Kevin De Bruyne was a goalscorer in the first-leg (Sportimage / Alamy)

There is certainly increased hope at the Etihad Stadium that Manchester City could put up a serious fight for the most prized asset in the professional game, especially following their summer recruitment.

Etihad officials got their summer underway with the marquee signing of the now former Borussia Dortmund striker, Erling Haaland.

Following the arrival of the Norwegian talent, Manchester City followed up with the signings of Kalvin Phillips and Bundesliga goalkeeper, Stefan Ortega Moreno.

Kalvin Phillips (Image: Manchester City / mancity.com)

Club chiefs are expected to remain active in the ongoing summer market too.

Manchester City remain on the hunt for a senior first-team left-back, with the likes of Atletico Madrid's Renan Lodi, Stuttgart's Borna Sosa, and Wolves' Rayan Ait-Nouri all mooted as potential options.

Topics: Kevin De Bruyne, Karim Benzema, Thibaut Courtois, Manchester City, Real Madrid, UEFA, Champions League, Premier League, La Liga, Football

Freddie Pye

Owner/Founder and Content Lead at City Xtra