Brazilian star Neymar said that FC Barcelona teammate and Argentina team captain Lionel Messi is locked to win the 2015 FIFA Ballon d'Or award, via ESPN.
The 27-year-old Messi, arguably the best football player in the planet right now, stayed healthy and had been in his best shape in more than two years. He had 36 goals this calendar year, 35 for his Barça club and 1 so far for his home country Argentina.
The Argentinians are currently competing in this year's Copa America, and Messi's goal total is more likely to still increase.
Messi led Barcelona to a Treble year, winning La Liga, Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League in succession for the 2014-2015 season, which made him the top candidate to capture the best football player of the year award.
Meanwhile, the 23-year-old Neymar is also having a banner year of his own being one of Messi's offensive partner for Barça together with Luis Suarez. He said that the Ballon d'Or is "no longer up for grabs," implying that no one else comes close to what the Argentina captain achieved this year. But the Brazilian captain was also quick to express his hope of see himself among 2015's top players.
"Messi deserves it, for all he has done," Neymar said. "We will have to see if I can get into the top three."
According to The Public News Hub, Messi deserves to win the trophy for being more of a team player aside from his superb individual performances. He leads all players in assists this season with 27. Cristiano Ronaldo comes in second at 22.
FIFA's Ballon d'Or, or Golden Ball, is an award given annually to who is considered as the best male football player of the year. It is determined based on votes from all national team coaches and captains, along with reporters and media worldwide.