Neymar: Ex Barcelona Star Explains Why He Never Won Ballon d’Or in His Career
- Al-Hilal star Neymar Jr will go down as one of the greatest and most talented footballers across all generations
- The Brazilian attacker is also one of the all-time greats who never had the honour of winning the Ballon d'Or award
- He has named the only factor that cost him winning the coveted ward during a recent interview with Romario
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Neymar Jr. is one of the football all-time greats who never won the Ballon d'Or, and the Brazilian attacker has opened up about why he missed out on winning the award.
The Ballon d'Or is a yearly award given to the best player in the year under review. It is voted for by selected journalists and has been handed out since 1955.
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When Neymar broke onto the scene with Santos at the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup, he was touted as a future Ballon d'Or winner, and 14 years later, he has yet to win one.
He joined Barcelona, one of the biggest clubs in the world, which could have boosted his chances, yet he failed to capture the coveted gold as he nears the end of his career.
Why Neymar didn't win Ballon d'Or
Many football fans believe Neymar is one of the players who achieved way less in football than what their talents should have made them achieve. The closest he came to winning the Ballon d'Or was finishing third in 2015 and 2017.
The Al-Hilal attacker is not looking back at his career with regrets and has explained why he thinks he did not win the Ballon d'Or during a chat with Brazilian legend Romario.
“Today, I think I was unlucky with the injuries. It’s like 7 years straight that I get injured. They’re injuries that take me out for 3 months, 6 months. That is what hindered me. If you stop and think about it,” he said, as quoted by Sportskeeda.
He added that despite his achievements with Barcelona, his prime years were at Paris Saint-Germain, reiterating that his injuries limited him.
“Anyone that knows about football knows my prime, my peak was at PSG. Playing the way I was at PSG, I would absolutely win a Ballon d’Or. I am certain about this,” he said.
“But I had those injuries, they harmed me. Obviously, every player wants to win one & have one at home, but it’s not something that bothers me. Life goes on, God didn’t want it, that’s fine.”
Neymar’s time at Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal has been badly hit by injuries, suffering repeated muscle issues after a long time out with an ACL injury sustained in November 2023.
As noted by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the Saudis will cut their losses on the 32-year-old and major league soccer team Chicago Fire are interested, even though Neymar admits he could consider another club in Saudi Arabia.
Neymar speaks on injury setbacks
Legit.ng reported that Neymar spoke on his injury setbacks after suffering a muscle issue weeks after returning to the pitch following a lengthy ACL injury layoff.
The Brazilian admitted that the doctors had warned him he could have muscle problems as he slowly adapted to playing again after a lengthy time with no action.
Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.
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Source: Legit.ng
