- Dimitri Payet has been voted as the 13th-Best Player in Europe in a prestigious UEFA poll
- Payet one of nine English-based players to receive votes from the continent's journalists
- West Ham United star is third-highest Premier League entrant behind Mahrez and Vardy
The West Ham United and France star finished ahead of the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Neymar and Eden Hazard in the voting, which saw journalists from each of UEFA’s 55 member associations provide a list of their five best-ranked players.
Each journalist’s No1 nominee received five points, the second four and so on. The ten players with the most points now advance to the second vote, which will determine the three finalists to be named on 5 August.
Payet, who enjoyed an outstanding debut season for the Hammers before excelling for his country at UEFA Euro 2016, was the third-highest ranked Premier League player behind Leicester City pair Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy, who were voted eleventh and 12th respectively.
The trio were also shortlisted for the PFA Player of the Year award earlier this year, which Mahrez won after helping the Foxes to win the Premier League title, and named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year.
The UEFA Best Player in Europe top ten reads like a who’s who of European football, with Barcelona pair Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez and Real Madrid quartet Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo, Pepe and Toni Kroos all included.
The Hammer of the Year's France teammate Antoine Griezmann and Bayern Munich and Germany duo Manuel Neuer and Thomas Mueller round out those who will vie for the overall title of the Best Player in Europe, who will be announced during the 2016/17 UEFA Champions League group stage draw in Monaco on 25 August.
In total, 37 players picked up votes in the initial poll – including nine who played their football in England last season.