8 players who could have won the Ballon d'Or in the last 8 years

#1 Neymar (2017)

Neymar has been in sensational form since signing for PSG

The other part of Barcelona's legendary front 3, Neymar is most people's favorite to contest for the Ballon D'Or once Ronaldo and Messi are retired.

The Brazilian had always been the junior partner of the attacking trio but 2017 was when he truly rose to the level of Messi and Suarez. The ease with which Neymar has been beating his opponents on the left wing is incredible, and though his goals tally for the 2016-2017 was down significantly from the previous season, Neymar's overall play improved greatly as he finally became a consistent world-class attacker.

His passing range has significantly increased and it's not uncommon to witness a simply unthinkable through ball to a teammate every game that could perhaps only be bested by Messi.

Everyone is aware of the circumstances which brought Neymar to PSG over the summer and his performances since arriving in Paris have been unbelievable. Only halfway through the season, he has 24 goals and 16 assists to his name. He has completely dominated French football, forming a brilliant understanding with fellow front men Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe.

The reason for his transfer seems to have been to allow him to be the star man at his new club, something he could never attain at Barcelona with Messi: it must only be a matter of time until he wins his first Ballon D'Or but considering his dazzling all-round play in 2017, it feels like it was a missed opportunity for the Brazilian.