Antoine Griezmann believes his performances for Atletico Madrid and France make him deserving of UEFA's Best Player in Europe award ahead of rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
Although Atletico lost to Ronaldo's Madrid in the Champions League final in May and came third in La Liga, 25-year-old Griezmann scored 39 times for club and country.
The French forward lit up Euro 2016 for the host nation in the summer, but once again Griezmann fell short at the final hurdle when his country lost to Ronaldo's Portugal in the final.
"I am proud to be a finalist, that means I am on the right track and have to continue that way," he said to 24sata.
"I don't want to sound arrogant, but I deserve this award because I've had a great season with both club and the national team.
"It has been [an] unforgettable season, first in the Champions league with Atleti, then Euros with France."
Griezmann is shortlisted alongside Real duo Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, who also had an impressive campaign for club and country after taking Wales to the semi-final of Euro 2016.
The winner will be announced at the UEFA Champions League group stage draw in Monaco on Thursday.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.