Colombian midfielder James Rodriguez has added his voice to the long-standing debate about Neymar’s legacy. The previous Actual Madrid star believes the Brazilian would have gained a number of Ballon d’Or titles if not for the dominance of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
“In my view, if not for Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar would have gained three Ballon d’Or. However he needed to compete with these beasts,” Rodriguez mentioned throughout an look on the Los Amigos de Edu program (through Tribuna).
This assertion reignites discussions about Neymar’s place in soccer historical past. Regardless of being one of the vital naturally gifted gamers of his era, he has by no means gained the Ballon d’Or, largely attributable to taking part in in the identical period as two of the game’s greatest-ever gamers.
Neymar’s Ballon d’Or close to misses
Since being first nominated for the Ballon d’Or in 2011, the Brazilian has completed within the high three twice. His closest possibilities got here in 2015 and 2017 when he completed third behind Messi and Ronaldo.
When Neymar left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 for a world-record $242 million, certainly one of his essential motivations was to step out of Lionel Messi’s shadow and win the Ballon d’Or. Nevertheless, regardless of a number of league titles and home trophies, the person honor eluded him, usually attributable to accidents and the dominance of Messi and Ronaldo.
Final 12 months, the veteran himself admitted he felt he ought to have gained the award throughout his time at PSG: “I used to be at my greatest after I performed for PSG. I ought to have gained the Ballon d’Or for the way in which I carried out there, however accidents have been an issue and so they hindered me.”
How are James and Neymar at the moment faring?
Each Rodriguez and Neymar have moved away from Europe within the later levels of their careers. The previous, now 33, joined Mexican facet Membership Leon in January 2024, after a stint with Rayo Vallecano in Spain.
Neymar, in the meantime, returned to his boyhood membership Santos earlier this 12 months after an injury-plagued spell at Al Hilal within the Saudi Professional League. Regardless of his setbacks, Neymar has been spectacular within the Campeonato Paulista, scoring three objectives and offering three assists in seven appearances.
