Ibrahimović shortlisted for William Hill

The shortlist for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award has been announced, with Zlatan Ibrahimović in the running to become the first active footballer to win the prize.

His autobiography, I Am Zlatan Ibrahimović (Penguin), is shortlisted alongside David Walsh's Seven Deadly Sins: My Pursuit of Lance Armstrong (Simon and Schuster), the journalist's account of his attempts to question the cyclist's record; Daniel James Brown's The Boys in the Boat: An Epic True-Life Journey to the Heart of Hitler's Berlin (Macmillan), which examines the story of American rower Joe Rantz; David Epstein's The Sports Gene: What Makes the Perfect Athlete (Yellow Jersey Press), which explores the nature versus nurture debate; Ed Hawkins' Bookie Gambler Fixer Spy: A Journey to the Heart of Cricket's Underworld (Bloomsbury), on the subject of India's illegal gambling industry, and James Reid's Doped: The Real Life Story of the 1960s Racehorse Doping Gang (Racing Post).

The winner of the £25,000 prize, which is now in its 25th year, will be announced live on BBC Radio 4's "Front Row" on 27th November, during a ceremony in London. As well as the cash prize, the winner also receives a £2,500 William Hill bet, a hand-bound copy of their book and a day at the races. Each of the shortlisted authors wins £3,000, and a £1,000 bet.

Graham Sharpe, co-founder of the award, said: "It is fitting that in this, the Award's silver anniversary year, we have a shortlist that not only echoes our opening two years, when rowing and cycling were the winning sports, but also boasts books examining and confronting some of the most topical, controversial and relevant issues affecting sport today."

The judges for this year's prize are John Inverdale, Danny kelly, Hugh McIlvanney, Alyson Rudd and John Gaustad.