Football

Neymar winning the Ballon d’Or only a matter of time – Kaka

Published

10 years ago

January 5, 2016

Kaka believes it is only a matter of time until Barcelona star Neymar wins the Fifa Ballon d’Or.

The 23-year-old has been included in the three-man shortlist for the 2015 edition of the accolade alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who have split the award between them for the past seven years with the Argentine claiming it on one more occasion.

Neymar is the first Brazilian to be included in the three Ballon d’Or finalists since Kaka’s triumph in 2007 and the former AC Milan midfielder has no doubt his compatriot will break up Messi and Ronaldo’s dominance and replicate his feat in the future .

“It had always been a rotation: Ronaldo and Zidane won it three times, but there was always some other player – names like [Luis] Figo, Ronaldinho, myself, Rivaldo, [Fabio] Cannavaro,” he told Fifa’s official website.

“Then comes this succession of Cristiano and Messi, only the two of them – and it is fair, for what they have been doing year after year.

“It’s difficult to point out a single reason for this [lack of Brazilians in the final three in recent years], but it must serve to alert Brazilian football. And, truth be told, it’s no easy task to forge a Ballon d’Or winner.

“Thankfully, Neymar has improved a lot since he’s gone to play in Europe – his game is a lot more mature. Now it’s a matter of time until he reaches first place.”