Former Ipswich Town loanees Massimo Luongo and Gio dos Santos have been nominated for the prestigious Ballon d’Or award, which will reward the world’s best player in 2015.
Australian Luongo, who was with Town on loan from Tottenham in 2012, joins the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on the 59-strong longlist, which will be cut to 23 ahead of an awards ceremony in January.
Midfielder Luongo, who appeared 11 times for Town, moved from Swindon to QPR in the summer in a multi-million pound deal, although his nomination is likely to relate to his international exploits.
The Aussie was named MVP at the Asian Cup at the start of this year, scoring the opening goal for his country as they won the tournament on home soil with an extra-time win over South Korea.
Dos Santos, now with LA Galaxy, was with Town at the end of the 07/08 season and has been rewarded for his spell with Villareal before his move to the MLS.
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