ROUND UP ON THE UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DRAW AND THE UEFA BEST PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD 2013

It was an eventful evening in Monaco France, when all the big boys in European football gathered together to witness the draw of next season's UEFA Champions League group stage and also for the award of the UEFA best player of the 2012/2013 season.
 Arsenal and Celtic have been handed nightmare draws for the group stage of this season's Champions League.
Arsene Wenger's side landed the toughest possible opponents from the third and fourth-ranked seeds in the shape of Borussia Dortmund - runners-up last season - and Rafa Benitez's Napoli, who finished second in Serie A last term.
Marseille complete Group F which sees Arsenal bracketed with the French side and Dortmund for the second time in three years.

Celtic's task is arguably as tough, with Barcelona again among their opponents in a Group H which also features Milan and Ajax.

Manchester City were pulled out in Group D along with holders Bayern Munich, but their schedule appears kinder than the past two years' with CSKA Moscow and Czech side Plzen the other sides drawn.
Manchester United will play Shakhtar Donetsk for the first time in a Group A also featuring Germans Bayer Leverkusen and Real Sociedad, who were fourth in La Liga last season.
And the draw was kindest, on paper at least, to Chelsea, whose Group E opponents are Schalke of Germany, Switzerland's Basel and Romanians Steaua Bucharest.
GROUP A MANCHESTER UNITED, Shakhtar Donetsk, Bayer Leverkusen, Real Sociedad
GROUP B Real Madrid, Juventus, Galatasaray, FC Copenhagen
GROUP C Benfica, Paris St Germain, Olympiacos, Anderlecht
GROUP D Bayern Munich, CSKA Moscow, MANCHESTER CITY, Plzen
GROUP E CHELSEA, Schalke, Basel, Steaua Bucharest
GROUP F ARSENAL, Marseille, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli
GROUP G Porto, Atletico Madrid, Zenit St Petersburg, Austria Vienna
GROUP H Barcelona, Milan, Ajax, CELTIC

After the draw has been drawn by former European players of the year such as Michael Owen and Luis Figo, the great award of the evening was announced and to the surprise of many the unfamiliar face on this award Franck Ribery  was named the UEFA footballer of the year 2013 ahead of Barcelona's Messi and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo.