You will never have the Ballon d’Or

Sport Reclife fans attempted to get under the skin of former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star Neymar during their side’s 2-2 draw with Santos on Saturday, July 26. The plan seemed to have worked, with the Brazilian attacker failing to register a goal contribution in the game.

The home fans got loudspeakers and several wore masks of the 33-year-old’s ex-girlfriend, Brazilian actress Bruna Marquezine. They held up banners too, one of which reminded the former Al-Hilal man of his failure to win the Ballon d’Or. It read (via Tribuna):

“Will never have the Ballon d’Or.”

Neymar’s life seems to be tough at Santos after he returned to the club after 12 years. He joined the Serie A side in January 2025 after a torrid spell at Al-Hilal.

He missed several months due to injury and eventually made seven appearances across competitions for the Saudi Pro League team, bagging a goal and three assists. The ex-Blaugrana man then joined Santos, where he’s contracted till December of this year.

Since returning to his boyhood club, Neymar has scored just once in eight Brazilian top-flight appearances. Santos are struggling in the league, placed 16th and only one position above the relegation zone.

Up next for them is a home match against 19th-placed Juventude at MorumBIS on August 4.

When Neymar said he would have won Ballon d’Or if not for injuries

Neymar has never managed to win the Ballon d’Or award, but claimed he could have done so during his time at PSG. He spent six years with the Parisians from 2017 to 2023.

During that time, the forward scored 118 goals and bagged 79 assists in 173 appearances across competitions. Speaking to Brazilian legend Romario in a podcast in January this year, he said (via FourFourTwo):

“I’ve been quite unlucky with injuries. For about seven years now, I’ve battled issues that have sidelined me for three to six months at a time. This has hindered my chances. If you think about it, it’s clear.

“Anyone who understands football knows my prime was at PSG. I was in a position to win the Ballon d’Or, but injuries made it difficult. Of course, every player dreams of winning it, but it doesn’t nag at me.”

Despite failing to win the individual honor, the Santos superstar has a UEFA Champions League trophy and two LaLiga titles to his name. He hasn’t won the World Cup with Brazil.