The Uruguayan pipped the Real Madrid man and Lionel Messi to the Spanish prize, while Napoli star Gonzalo Higuain was rewarded for his fine efforts in front of goal in Serie A

POLL RESULTS

Luis Suarez, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Gonzalo Higuain and Aytac Sulu have been named Goal‘s Players of the Year in their respective leagues.

Suarez scored a magnificent 40 goals in 35 games to help Barcelona retain La Liga and subsequently landed 42 per cent of our readers’ votes.

The Uruguayan, who also won the Golden Shoe for scoring the most goals in Europe this season, finished marginally ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo, who amassed 37 per cent.

Suarez’s Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi placed third, while Atletico Madrid duo Antoine Griezmann and Jan Oblak ranked ahead of Athletic Club’s Aritz Aduriz.

There was a landslide victory in Ligue 1 as Ibrahimovic, who will leave Paris Saint-Germain in the summer, secured 62 per cent of readers’ votes in our poll.

Nice’s Hatem Ben Arfa, who has revived his career by scoring 17 goals in the French top flight this term, finished second with 20 per cent, ahead of Angel Di Maria, Alexandre Lacazette and Steve Mandanda.

Higuain scooped the Serie A accolade after netting 36 times to set a new single-season goalscoring record in the Italian top flight.

Juventus star Paulo Dybala, who won Goal’s Serie A Young Player of the Year award, finished second and Gianluigi Buffon, Paul Pogba, Roma’s Radja Nainggolan and Napoli midfielder Marek Hamsik completed the shortlist.

In Germany, a surprise winner emerged as Darmstadt defender Sulu claimed the Bundesliga gong with 36 per cent of readers’ votes.

Reborn Borussia Dortmund midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan came second on 28 per cent ahead of third-placed Robert Lewandowski and other nominees Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Thomas Muller and Javier Hernandez.