Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? For years this phrase has been synonymous with "Who is the best player in the world?" However, the conversation has changed in the last few weeks thanks to the efforts of a few different players. One of those men is Zlatan Ibrahimovic and he is currently on pace to step in that conversation for the upcoming Ballon d'Or.
For those unfamiliar with "Ibra," all you need to do is take a look at this goal. Or better yet, check out this one. Ronaldo and Messi have spectacular goals of their own, but they rarely contain the same level of pizzazz or wizardry as those scored by the controversial Swede.
Ibrahimovic is a polarizing figure, but for the first time in years he is earning raves for his hard work and is even being considered the top player in the world.
"Right now, he's better than Messi and Ronaldo," said Arsenal Coach Arsene Wenger, according to Soccer America. "At 32, he knows how best to exploit his talent."
So what has Ibrahimovic done, aside from scoring spectacular goals, to put himself in a prime position to win the coveted "Best Player of the Year Award?"
1994—that was the last time that Paris Saint-Germain had won a trophy prior to the 2012-13 season. The team's money muscle enabled it to bring in top players during the summer of 2012 and among those was Ibrahimovic. The striker instantly became a hit with the team and not only led the league in goals, but helped the team to its first trophy in almost 20 years. He also led Paris to the quarterfinals of the Champions League (and the best record in the group stage) in 2012-13.
Ibrahimovic has continued to lead Paris throughout the beginning of the 2013-14 season and is among the leading scorers in the Ligue 1 and the Champions League.
His international efforts must also be admired as he led Sweden to second place in a group that included Germany, Ireland, and Austria among others. Sweden is slated to play Portugal in a two-legged playoff in coming weeks and this could cement his place in the final vote.
Ronaldo is easily the top player in the world right now with a consistent month of goal scoring and Messi's struggles making the Portuguese star the favorite to win the trophy at the moment. However, if Ibrahimovic manages to defeat Ronaldo in the World Cup playoff, then he would likely take over as the favorite.
Prediction: Ibrahimovic finishes in fourth place in the voting. He could take third, but Franck Ribery has a lot of fans this year and is likely to finish among the final trio of players.
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