When we think about players that should have won Ballon d'Or, but never did, one name that comes out all the time is Neymar Jr. The Brazilian striker had the quality to be a multiple trophy winner, but suffered the "curse" of playing at the same time as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who won every award during Neymar's prime.
Last night, the Ballon d'Or was given to Ousmane Dembélé, whom he never coincided: when Neymar left Barcelona in 2017 to join Paris Saint-Germain, Dembélé joined Barcelona. In 2023, Dembélé left Barcelona for PSG, and at the same time Neymar left PSG for Al-Hilal.
On a Instagram comment, Neymar did not congratulate Dembélé, and instead talked about Raphinha: "Raphinha at 5 is a big joke", he said (via SportsBible), lamenting the position his compatriot finished.
For many, Raphinha could should have been a candidate for Ballon d'Or, but he failed to make it even in the top 3, finishing behind Lamine Yamal (second), Vitinha (third), and Mohamed Salah (fourth). Dembélé scored 35 goals and provided 16 assists, while Raphinha scored had 56 goal contributions across all competitions.
Last year, Neymar also defended his teammate from the 'Canarinha', Vinícius Jr., when he finished second behind Rodri.