Neymar: 'Messi deserves to win the Ballon d'Or'

The Brazilian superstar believes his Barca teammate deserves recognition after their historic treble win last season.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the owner of the two most recent Ballon d'Or awards. Last season, the Portuguese star achieved his highest ever goalscoring record at his club with 61 goals. Ronaldo also won the Pichichi award (La Liga top scorer) and the 2015 European Golden Boot.

However, Messi was the one who made the biggest impression, contributing to Barca's historic treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Champions League titles. The Argentine superstar also scored 58 goals in 57 matches.

Messi and Neymar have a chance to score at the 2015 Copa America. Photo: Reuters.

"Messi deserves the Ballon d'Or for what he has achieved," Neymar told Globo after helping Brazil beat Peru in their Copa America opening match.

Besides his traditional rival Ronaldo, Messi could face competition from Neymar for the Ballon d'Or title. Neymar exploded with 39 goals for Barca, far exceeding his 15 goals in his first season. The Brazilian striker's impact also included the goal that sealed the 3-1 victory in the Champions League final.

Neymar and Messi are both participating in the 2015 Copa America in Chile. The success of Brazil and Argentina will largely depend on these two stars, and conversely, they will also score points in the Ballon d'Or race if they help their teams advance deep into the tournament.

In the opening round, Messi scored from the penalty spot in Argentina's 2-2 draw with Paraguay. Meanwhile, Neymar impressed even more with a goal and an assist to help Brazil beat Peru 2-1.

The third member of the MSN trio, Suarez, will miss the 2015 Copa America due to a suspension while playing for the Uruguayan national team.

According to VNE