The Ballon d'Or is widely regarded as the most prestigious individual award a footballer can win during their career. It's recognition of an exceptional year and only the very best players have had the opportunity to claim it over the years. Lionel Messi has won the prize more times than anyone else, with eight to his name.

Other superstars who have lifted the prize include Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Michael Owen, Luka Modric and Kaka. It's an honour unlike almost any other, but over the past couple of decades, opportunities for other footballers to take home the trophy have been limited. That's largely because it was dominated by the aforementioned Messi and Ronaldo for nearly 15 years. From 2008 to 2023, the pair collected the award 13 times between them, with only Modric and Karim Benzema managing to break their run during that period.

As a consequence, several outstanding players at the very top of the sport never had the opportunity to win the award. Former AC Milan and Real Madrid star Kaka once highlighted one player he described as 'the best footballer in the world', despite the fact that he never managed to claim the Ballon d'Or. The former midfielder believed the star deserved to win it, and that player was Neymar.

Kaka Believes Neymar Deserved to Win the Ballon d'Or

During an interview with SPORTbible, Kaka, who won the Ballon d'Or himself in 2007, was asked to name one player who never managed to win the prestigious prize but deserved to. He selected fellow Brazilian Neymar. The former midfielder said:

Across a decade with Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, Neymar established himself as one of the finest footballers on the planet. He was spectacular to watch, regularly producing moments of skill with a football that few others could replicate. He played 359 games combined for the two teams, recording 378 goal contributions along the way.

It's difficult to disagree with Kaka's assessment that Neymar deserved to at least be a serious contender for the Ballon d'Or during that period, although he was ultimately overshadowed by the remarkable dominance of Messi and Ronaldo. He remains one of the greatest players to never win the trophy. Now back at Santos, where his professional career began, it seems safe to say that his chances of ever challenging for the Ballon d'Or are firmly behind him.