Alex tips Ibrahimovic for Ballon d'Or crown

Nov 16, 2012 3:30:00 AM

The Brazil defender hopes his Paris Saint-Germain team-mate is awarded the prize following his four-goal display against England

Alex is hoping Zlatan Ibrahimovic's international exploits on Wednesday evening help him to land the Ballon d'Or.

The Paris Saint-Germain striker scored four times to lead his country to a 4-2 victory over England, with his final goal of the evening - a long-range overhead-kick - earning plaudits from far and wide.

And his club team-mate believes that 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 les Parisiens in all competitions.