"I am convinced he deserved a Ballon d'Or" - Barcelona legend Gerard Pique reveals decision that 'hurt' Neymar's chances to win award

Barcelona legend Gerard Piqué believes Neymar leaving for PSG stopped him from winning the Ballon d'Or in his career. He claims that the Brazilian deserved to win the France Football award in his career, but the switch to Ligue 1 hurt his chances.

Speaking on the PodPah podcast, Pique said that the Barcelona players tried to talk him out of the decision to leave the club, but the Brazilian was unwilling to listen. He added that Neymar should have won the Ballon d'Or in his career and said (via Somo Fanaticos):

"I'm convinced he deserved a Ballon d’Or. I think going to PSG hurt him. We tried to convince him not to go, we did everything possible. Everyone thought he was going to stay, even me, but it seemed that it was already decided. In the end, he had an incredible career."

Italian legend Gianluigi Buffon also spoke about Neymar last year, claiming that the current Santos star deserved to win five Ballon d'Or awards. He told Corriere della Sera (via World Soccer Talk):

“I’ve played with three generations: Zidane, Ronaldo, Messi, Cristiano, Iniesta… but if I have to choose one, I say Neymar. For the player and the boy he is, he should have won five Ballons d’Or."

Neymar left Barcelona in 2017 after PSG activated his €222 million release clause. He left for Al-Hilal in 2023 and returned to Brazil with Santos in 2025.

Former Barcelona star claims Neymar deserved to win Ballon d'Or

Former Barcelona star Jeremy Mathieu spoke to RMC in 2017, admitting that no one expected Neymar to leave the club. He believes that the Brazilian left to try and win the Ballon d'Or and said:

"No one expected him to leave, but it's a choice you have to respect. I think he left Barcelona to try to win the Ballon d’Or, because he was a little bit second to Leo Messi there. It was difficult for him there, and that's why I think he left. I think he'll have more chance of winning it in Paris than Barcelona. But it'll be up to him to score goals, win trophies and try to help Paris win the Champions League."

"Neymar wants to win above all. In Barcelona, he took the penalties with Leo. Perhaps he thought it worked like that in Paris too. He's a great player -- it's normal he wants to score lots of goals. Now, Cavani was there before him. In France, it works like that. It's up to the two of them to talk about it."

Neymar has not won the Ballon d'Or, and his 3rd-place finishes in 2015 and 2017 remain the best in his career.