Ibrahimovic and Pogba named on Ballon d'Or shortlist

Manchester United’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba have both been named on the longlist for the 2016 Ballon d’Or award.

The list was unveiled today by France Football, who have taken back sole control of the award this year after the past five years saw the original Ballon d’Or merged with FIFA’s World Player of the Year Award.

Ibrahimovic, of course, has been nominated for his exploits with Paris Saint-Germain, where the Swede led them to their second domestic treble of Ligue 1, the Coupe de France and the Coupe de la Ligue.

The 35-year-old confirmed his place in PSG history with a host of records, including becoming the Parisian side’s all-time top scorer in all competitions and netting the fastest hat-trick in Ligue 1 history, taking just nine minutes to score three against Troyes in March.

Ibrahimovic ended the season with 50 goals in all competitions – his personal best – before leading Sweden at Euro 2016 and sealing a free transfer to United later in the summer.

Meanwhile, Pogba has been nominated for his fine year with Juventus, which saw him proclaimed as one of the best midfielders in the world in a more advanced playmaking role.

The 23-year-old scored eight goals and provided 12 assists in Serie A – both personal bests – as he led the Old Lady to a league and cup double in his final season in Turin. He was also a vital squad of the French side that made it all the way to the final at Euro 2016 on home soil, before losing to Portugal in the showpiece finale at the Stade de France.

His fantastic season with Juventus convinced United to fork out a world-record transfer fee of £89 million to bring the French international back to Old Trafford for a second spell and Pogba has shown spurts of his tremendous ability so far.