Barcelona star Lionel Messi praises fellow Ballon d’Or nominee Neymar

Barcelona star Lionel Messi has reserved some special praise for his fellow Ballon d’Or nominee Neymar. Santos star Neymar shortlisted for FIFA Ballon d’Or 2012 The Argentine forward is in contention to win his third Ballon d’Or trophy in January, having claimed the accolade for the last two years. Neymar is also among the 23-man […]
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sambafoot_admin
2012-11-01 18:00:00

Barcelona star Lionel Messi has reserved some special praise for his fellow Ballon d’Or nominee Neymar.

The Argentine forward is in contention to win his third Ballon d’Or trophy in January, having claimed the accolade for the last two years.

Neymar is also among the 23-man shortlist for the second time, following some impressive performances for Brazil and Santos this year, which caught Messi’s attention.  

He told Mundo Deportivo: “Neymar is an excellent player, who has been making a difference in Brazil for a long time.

“The truth is that he is very good.”

The 20-year-old won the FIFA Puskas prize for the best goal of 2011 last year, whilst Messi took home the main prize.

The overall winner of this year’s award, which could be Neymar or Messi, will be revealed at the FIFA Ballon d’Or gala as part of a televised show at the Zurich Kongresshaus on January 7.

The two stars could actually play alongside each other one day as Neymar has long been linked with a move to the Catalan giants, but more so recently following rumours that a pre-contract agreement is already in place.