Neymar Comments on Ballon D'Or 2015, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and More

Barcelona forward Neymar has claimed he deserves to be included on the final three-man shortlist for the Ballon d’Or award alongside his team-mates Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, which would mean the current holder, Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo, would miss out.

The Brazilian has been part of a remarkable attacking trident alongside the aforementioned pair, with all three scoring a staggering number of goals in 2015. Neymar feels as though all three should be rewarded with a spot in the top three as a result.

“Yes, I think that I deserve to be (amongst the finalists) because of the way I'm playing,” the 23-year-old told O Globo (h/t Marca). “I'd be happy if all three of us could make up the final three. If you look at the records we're breaking, and what we're achieving, the three of us should be up there.”

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A 23-man list of nominations was named for the Ballon d’Or award earlier this year, with the final three set to be announced on Monday, per Sky Sports.

It’d be a remarkable achievement for this Barcelona team if they were to sweep the board. Neymar, Messi and Suarez have lit up the football world throughout the year, each bringing something different to the Blaugrana’s attacking forays. The honours accrued, including the Champions League, La Liga title and Copa del Rey, are indicative of their immense quality.

BreatheSport summed up just how prominent all three of these players have been in this calendar year with some incredible statistics:

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In 2015: Messi: 44 goals, 21 assists Suarez: 40 goals, 22 assists Neymar: 41 goals, 12 assists Ridiculous. pic.twitter.com/WqAHEqmyPi

— BreatheSport (@BreatheSport) November 28, 2015"

Ronaldo will feel as though he’s done enough to ensure there’ll be some Real representation in the final three. Los Blancos may not have won anything this year, but the Portuguese has been typically consistent in front of goal. Last season, he finished up with 48 goals in La Liga, and despite some struggles this season, he has already netted on nine occasions, per WhoScored.com. 

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The Portuguese’s influence on games has diminished of late; he's becoming more and more of a goal poacher. Oliver Holt of the Mail on Sunday still feels Ronaldo, even though he’s altered his playing style, should be considered among the very best, though:

Neymar has insisted winning the award isn’t that important to him anyway. “I've never played football to be the best player in the world, or to win the Ballon d’Or,” he said. “I've always just played with the idea of continually getting better, to always surpass my goals, to always be better, play better, train better. To be the best in the world is the direct result of all of this work.”

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The award should go to the three players who have performed to the most consistently high standard throughout the year, and few would deny that’s been the Barcelona trio. Not only have they thrilled supporters, but when the pressure was on towards the back end of last season, they each conjured decisive, trophy-winning contributions.

As Sid Lowe of the Guardian notes, it’s the manner in which the three link up that makes them so special:

Here’s a reminder of some of the stunning moments this trio have treated us to throughout the year:

Naturally, Neymar is going to say a Barcelona clean sweep is warranted, and there are plenty who agree with this assessment. However, it’d be a huge surprise if Ronaldo didn’t muscle his way into the top three, perhaps at the expense of Suarez.

It’s a gong that Neymar would want to win, of course, but for the three prongs of the Barcelona trident, it’s by no means a primary concern. Even so, after Messi and Ronaldo's prolonged dominance at the summit of the sport, it’s encouraging to see players scaling similar heights and making the quest for this individual accolade more than an annual two-horse race.