Ballon d’Or: Neymar a brilliant 9/1 to break dominance
Published:
Holly Thackeray | December 1, 2015
Neymar more than nifty at 9/1 to win Ballon d’Or
With lethal La Liga trio Lionel Messi, Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo the final fantastic three on the Ballon d’Or shortlist, football’s most prestigious prize, punters also have the chance to profit from this red carpet extravaganza.
There are exceptional odds of 9/1 on offer for Coral customers, should they pick Barcelona superstar Neymar from that prolific bunch to lift this individual award for the first time and be crowned top footballer.
Though peers Messi and Ronaldo have a stranglehold on the trophy, there are several enticing reasons why the Brazilian icon can best the pair to it this time around, breaking their combined seven-year dominance (including the award in it’s previous guise before 2010).
Here’s why we think the ferocious forward can put a cat among the pigeons…
Barca no longer reliant on one
That Catalan kings Barcelona are no longer Messi dependent has never been clearer than while the Argentine was injured recently, with Neymar stepping up to fill the void of game decider.
In his clubmate’s absence, the Samba star also outshone Luis Suarez with bundles of skill and bagged 10 across all competitions in the seven games he featured in while Messi was missing.
Though, this rise to wrestle for the mantle of best Barca player with his fellow South American began the season before, as the Brazilian stormed to a sublime finish.
Superb scoring antics
Finally seeming to settle into his surroundings, superstar Neymar was just as crucial in helping the Nou Camp club to another treble. As joint-top scorer alongside both his current Ballon d’Or rivals in the 2014/15 Champions League campaign, the prolific predator deserves just as many plaudits for the danger he poses.
Neymar netted in both semi-final battles versus Bayern Munich, as well as in the final against Juventus, which was a feat not even Messi managed. Add to that some nifty footwork which aided Barca inn the Copa del Rey final, and he similarly racked-up a tremendous 22 in La Liga.
Such superb hauls have not stopped this season either, as Neymar leads a star-studded pack at the top of the Spanish Liga scorer charts on 14, tellingly five ahead of Ronaldo. Are we seeing a changing of the guard?
It’s not just the prolific poaching and outrageous tricks which make Neymar so effective, however, it is also the team play. His 11 assists across all competitions this campaign only tell half the story. So, at just 23, we reckon Neymar, currently outscoring his trophy opponents, is an unmissable at 9/1 to steal the Ballon d’Or away from his older peers.
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