Messi Tips Neymar for Future Ballon d’Or Glory
Lionel Messi has publicly backed his FC Barcelona teammate Neymar to win the Ballon d’Or in the future. Speaking with the Argentine press, Messi was full of praise for the young Brazilian:
“He’s going to get it. Given his qualities, his predispositions, I have no doubt that he can get it at some point,” said Messi. “He has great potential, he’s a player with a lot of qualities, and he can go wherever he wants. I’m lucky to be able to rub shoulders with immense players on the pitch and he’s one of them.”
At the time, both Messi (27) and Neymar (22) were in red-hot form, with 5 and 6 goals respectively in just the early rounds of La Liga. While Messi had already won four Ballon d’Or awards, he made it clear he wasn’t done competing — hinting at a possible fifth title, even if it meant edging out Cristiano Ronaldo again in 2015.
The mutual respect at Barcelona, especially between two of the world’s biggest talents, was clearly a strong point in their chemistry — both on and off the pitch.
