included in UEFA’s list of the top 10 players in Europe this past year.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was named the tenth-best player on the continent over the past 12 months following on from his season at Manchester United.
Ibrahimovic was ranked 10th on the list, which was headed by Gianluigi Buffon, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Only those top three players can now win the coveted UEFA Player of the Year award, which will be presented in Monaco on Thursday August 24.
Ronaldo’s Real Madrid team-mates Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Sergio Ramos all narrowly missed out on a place in the top three.
Paulo Dybala, Kylian Mbappe and Robert Lewandowski’s incredible seasons were all also noted.
The contenders for the award was voted by a panel of 80 coaches of teams that competed in the Champions League and Europa League group stages last season, plus also 55 journalists who were selected by the European Sports Media group.
Players don’t have to be European to win the award, they just have to of played in a European league through the 2016/17 season.
Top 10 players in Europe 2016/17
1: Gianluigi Buffon (Italy, Juventus)
2: Lionel Messi (Argentina, Barcelona)
3: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Real Madrid)
4: Luka Modrić (Croatia, Real Madrid)
5: Toni Kroos (Germany, Real Madrid)
6: Paulo Dybala (Argentina, Juventus)
7: Sergio Ramos (Spain, Real Madrid)
8: Kylian Mbappé (France, Monaco)
9: Robert Lewandowski (Poland, Bayern München)
10: Zlatan Ibrahimović (Sweden, Manchester United)
