Seven LaLiga stars nominated for Best Player in Europe Award

With the entertaining fare and top players on display, no one is immune to LaLiga's charms, including UEFA. European football's governing body has released the shortlist for its 2015/16 Best Player in Europe Award, which features no fewer than seven stars based in the Spanish top flight. The winner will be announced on 25 August.

FC Barcelona once again served up some stunning stuff en route to retaining their LaLiga title last term. Luis Enrique's squad shone as a whole, but two figures stood out above the rest: Leo Messi and Luis Suarez. The Argentine was a talismanic presence for the Catalans, while the Uruguayan was in breathtaking goalscoring form, notching a league-high 40 goals in LaLiga, as well as a further eight in the Champions League. Both are well worthy of being in contention for the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award.

Real Madrid, meanwhile, have four players in the running for the accolade following a campaign in which the club claimed its 11th European Cup. Gareth Bale produced a string of influential performances for Los Blancos over the course of a season that he capped by inspiring Wales's run to the EURO 2016 semi-finals. Toni Kroos was another key man for Zinedine Zidane's side and, after helping them to glory in Milan, he lifted the Champions League trophy for the second time in four years. The former Bayern Munich schemer similarly went on to impress at the Euros, bossing the midfield for Germany.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe complete the list of Real Madrid nominees. The former was the top goalscorer in the Champions League, with 16 strikes, while the latter played a crucial role yet again in Real Madrid's defensive solidity. It has been an unforgettable year for both players who were crowned European champions with club and country. Ronaldo and Pepe were mainstays in the Portugal team that made history at EURO 2016 by beating hosts France in the final and sealing the nation's first major honour.

The final LaLiga spot belongs to Antoine Griezmann, the star man for Atletico Madrid and France. The forward finished as top goalscorer for both Los Rojiblancos and Les Bleus as well as winning the Golden Boot at the Euros. On top of that, he was named Player of the Tournament on home soil. The Frenchman, however, was unable to crown a remarkable individual season with a trophy, after suffering defeat at the hands of Real Madrid in the Champions League final and Portugal in the EURO 2016 showpiece.

Gianluigi Buffon, Thomas Muller and Manuel Neuer complete a list of nominees which has a distinctly LaLiga flavour to it, in yet another display of Spanish football's position at the forefront of the beautiful game.