5 shocking omissions from the 2017 Ballon d'Or shortlist

3) Paul Pogba (Manchester United and France)

Paul Pogba missed out on a nomination this year

Yes, the then-record £89m transfer fee (which seems like pittance following this summer's transfer business) was a huge burden on the Paul Pogba's shoulders. But it was a burden he carried well before coming good in the second half of the 2016/17 season.

Jose Mourinho took his time and experimented with various midfield combinations to get the best out of the French midfielder and once he found the right strategy, Pogba was unstoppable.

The 24-year-old soon established himself as a force to reckon with when he became the first player to complete 1,000 passes in the opposition half in the Premier League.

Paul Pogba: Of the 53 players to attempt more than 20 dribbles in the EL this season, only 1 has a better success rate than Pogba (75.5%) pic.twitter.com/5Ivapb04e3

— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) May 24, 2017

Pogba formed a lethal partnership with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and were the Swedish striker a few years younger and a little faster (not to mention, less wasteful), Pogba would have collected a lot more assists.

Though the team struggled as a whole, Pogba was at the heart of the squad that went on an unbeaten run that lasted 25 games - a new club record. And in a season of transition, they still managed to win two trophies (League Cup and Europa League).