UEFA Euro 2012 23 best players over the course of the tournament. The group of eleven analysts watched every game at the tournament before making their decision after the final. Ten players from the winning Spanish team were selected in the team of the tournament, while Zlatan Ibrahimović was the only player to be included whose team was knocked out in the group stage. Fernando Torres tied with five other players on goals and with Mario Gómez on goals and assists; however, he played 92 fewer minutes than Gómez did, thus earning the title. Torres also became the first player to score in
UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award to become the FIFA Ballon d'Or. It also replaced the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year award. Cristiano Ronaldo is the only player to win the award three times as well as twice in a row. Since its inception, the award has been won by Lionel Messi (2011, 2015), Andrés Iniesta (2012), Franck Ribéry (2013), Cristiano Ronaldo (2014, 2016, 2017) and Luka Modrić (2018). Female players are awarded the UEFA Best Women's Player in Europe Award, introduced in 2013. According to UEFA, the award "recognise[s] the best player, irrespective of his nationality, playing for a football club within the territory