Alex backs Ibrahimovic for Ballon d´Or

Paris Saint-Germain defender Alex is hoping Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s international exploits on Wednesday will earn him the Ballon d’Or.

The PSG striker scored four times to lead Sweden to a 4-2 victory over England, with his final goal of the evening – a long-range overhead strike – earning worldwide acclaim as one of the best ever goals in football.

And Alex believes Ibrahimovic’s individual display could swing the voting in his favour, even though he admits he is yet to see the goals himself.

“I hope that his performance can help him in the race for the Ballon d’Or,” Alex told reporters.

“But at the same time, it is a bit risky to say that he will win the competition with exceptional players like (Lionel) Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo up against him. But it is certain that his performance will inevitably be a strong argument and should help.

“In fact, I have not seen his exploits. But everyone is talking about them, including his last great goal. It proves once again that he is a player that makes a difference wherever he goes. We hope he will continue to make the difference with us at PSG.”

Ibrahimovic has been in fine form at club level too, scoring 12 times for the French capital club in all competitions.