{"id":10580,"date":"2024-11-21T05:10:34","date_gmt":"2024-11-21T05:10:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotnews.azontree.com\/?p=10580"},"modified":"2024-11-21T05:10:34","modified_gmt":"2024-11-21T05:10:34","slug":"he-should-have-won-five-ballons-dors-neymar-selected-as-legends-goat-instead-of-lionel-messi-or-cristiano-ronaldo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotnews.azontree.com\/?p=10580","title":{"rendered":"‘He should have won five Ballons d’Ors’: Neymar selected as legend’s GOAT instead of Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u00a9\u00a0Philipp Schmidli\/Getty Images<\/strong>FIFA Ballon d’Or nominees Neymar Jr of Brazil and FC Barcelona (L), Lionel Messi of Argentina and FC Barcelona (C) and Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal and Real Madrid (R) attend a press conference prior to the FIFA Ballon d’Or Gala 2015 at the Kongresshaus on January 11, 2016 in Zurich, Switzerland.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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Gianluigi Buffon<\/strong>, one of soccer\u2019s most iconic goalkeepers, has sparked significant debate with his declaration that\u00a0Neymar<\/strong>\u00a0is the best player he has ever played with. Buffon, who shared the field with legends like\u00a0Cristiano Ronaldo<\/strong>, and\u00a0Zinedine Zidane<\/strong>, and played against\u00a0Lionel Messi<\/strong>, during a career spanning nearly three decades, explained his surprising choice in a recent interview with\u00a0Corriere della Sera<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve played with three generations: Zidane, Ronaldo, Messi, Cristiano, Iniesta\u2026 but if I have to choose one, I say Neymar,\u201d Buffon stated. \u201cFor the player and the boy he is, he should have won five Ballons d\u2019Or\u201d,\u00a0<\/em>he said.<\/p>\n

Buffon\u2019s career took him to some of the most prestigious clubs in the world, including Juventus, PSG, and Parma, as well as to the heights of international success with Italy. During his stint at\u00a0Paris Saint-Germain\u00a0<\/strong>in the 2018-2019 season, he played alongside Neymar, who left an indelible impression on the Italian goalkeeper. Despite their brief partnership, Buffon praised the Brazilian\u2019s unmatched creativity, flair, and personality both on and off the pitch.<\/p>\n

The 46-year-old World Cup winner reflected on Neymar\u2019s immense talent and lamented the Brazilian\u2019s failure to secure a\u00a0Ballon d\u2019Or, attributing it to circumstances rather than a lack of ability. Neymar has twice finished third in the Ballon d\u2019Or rankings (2015 and 2017), but injuries and controversies have hindered his journey to the top.<\/p>\n

Neymar\u2019s career: Unfulfilled potential or overlooked genius?<\/h2>\n

Buffon\u2019s comments come at a time when Neymar\u2019s legacy is under scrutiny. After dazzling at\u00a0Barcelona<\/strong>, where he formed the iconic \u2018MSN\u2019 trio with Messi and Suarez, Neymar moved to France in 2017 for a world-record fee of \u20ac222 million. His transfer was intended to establish him as the centerpiece of a team chasing Champions League glory. While Neymar showcased moments of brilliance, consistent injuries and off-field controversies have overshadowed his tenure at PSG and, more recently, at\u00a0Al-Hilal\u00a0in Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n

Despite his setbacks, the Brazilian star remains one of the most gifted players of his generation. Buffon\u2019s endorsement highlights the Brazilian\u2019s artistry, which he believes sets Neymar apart from the likes of Messi and Ronaldo, whose careers are often measured by individual and team accolades.<\/p>\n

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Missed chance to play alongside Messi<\/h2>\n

Interestingly, the Italy legend also revealed that he had the chance to play alongside Messi toward the end of his career. In an interview, Buffon shared that\u00a0Barcelona<\/strong>\u00a0offered him a role as a backup goalkeeper, which would have\u00a0allowed him to play with both Messi and Ronaldo<\/strong>, following his stint with the Portuguese star at Juventus.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had an offer from Barcelona as a second goalkeeper,\u201d Buffon said. \u201cThe idea of playing with Messi, after CR7, I liked it. But one day I was driving, and on the radio, they played Jovanotti\u2019s\u00a0\u2018Beautiful\u2019. I look up, and I see the Parma tollbooth. A sign. Close where it all started.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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The veteran ultimately returned to\u00a0Parma<\/strong>, his boyhood club, where he ended his career on his own terms.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a9\u00a0Philipp Schmidli\/Getty ImagesFIFA Ballon d’Or nominees Neymar Jr of Brazil and FC Barcelona (L), Lionel Messi of Argentina and FC Barcelona (C) and Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":10581,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news"],"yoast_head":"\n'He should have won five Ballons d'Ors': Neymar selected as legend's GOAT instead of Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hotnews.azontree.com\/?p=10580\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"'He should have won five Ballons d'Ors': Neymar selected as legend's GOAT instead of Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo - 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