Barcelona

Agent tips Neymar for Ballon d'Or prize

By Shane Callaghan, Reporter | 05 June 2015

Neymar's agent says that it is inevitable for his client to end Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's stronghold on the Ballon d'Or in the coming years.

The agent of Barcelona star Neymar has predicted that his client will win the Ballon d'Or by 2016.

The Brazil ace has enjoyed his best season at Camp Nou thus far by netting 42 goals in all competitions to play a prominent role in the Catalans' treble bid.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar's teammate Lionel Messi have enjoyed a monopoly on the game's most coveted individual prize by sharing the accolade for the past eight years.

However, agent Wagner Ribeiro says that the 23-year-old will break the status quo in the near future.

"Neymar has matured and grown as an athlete since his move Europe," Ribeiro told Goal.com.

"This year Neymar will feature among the three best players in the world. The award will then come naturally after that, perhaps this year or in 2016."

Having already won the Copa del Rey and La Liga, Barcelona travel to Berlin on Saturday hoping to clinch the treble by beating Juventus in the Champions League final.