"It Cost Him Everything": Pique Reveals the One Move That Robbed Neymar of the Ballon d'Or

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·11 October 2025

"It Cost Him Everything": Pique Reveals the One Move That Robbed Neymar of the Ballon d'Or

Former Barcelona defender reveals how Neymar’s transfer decision ended his golden path

"It Cost Him Everything": Pique Reveals the One Move That Robbed Neymar of the Ballon d'Or

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Spanish former international Gerard Pique's revealed that Neymar da Silva should have won the Ballon d’Or during his peak years at Barcelona insisting the Brazilian’s move to Paris Saint Germain in 2017 cost him that dream.

"He deserved it for what he did"

Speaking on the Brazilian podcast Podpah, Pique said:

"For what he did, I’m convinced Neymar deserved the Ballon d’Or. I can’t say which year exactly but he earned it. Moving to Paris Saint Germain hurt his chances badly"

The former Barca captain explained that Neymar’s decision was motivated by his desire to step out of Lionel Messi’s shadow.

"He wanted to move to Paris to win the award because he felt Messi’s presence at Barcelona made that impossible" Pique added.

🎙️GERARD PIQUÉ: “Neymar? For what he did, I’m convinced he deserved a Ballon d’Or. I don't know in what year, but he deserved it. I think his move to PSG harmed him. I’d bet my house here that he ends up playing the 2026 World Cup.” 🇧🇷🇪🇸
– Saturday, 11 October 2025

"We tried to convince him to stay"

Pique admitted that Barcelona players made several attempts to persuade Neymar not to leave.

"We did everything we could to convince him. When I posted 'He stays' I truly believed he would. But deep down, I knew he'd already made his decision" he recalled.

"Neymar's one of the greats"

Despite missing out on football’s top individual prize, Pique insisted that Neymar remains 1 of the sport’s true icons.

"Even without the Ballon d’Or, Neymar's 1 of the greats. I’ve never seen such natural talent (his dribbling, his creativity, his joy reminded me of Ronaldinho" he said.

Neymar spent 4 season at Barcelona between 2013 & 2017 winning every possible trophy including the Champions League, La Liga, Copa del Rey, FIFA Club World cup.

Pique concluded:

"Since the Club World cup final against Santos before he joined Barca we knew he was something special. Football's team game & Neymar’s greatness goes beyond any individual award".

Gerard Piqué spoke about former teammate Neymar 🗣️ "For what he did, I'm convinced he deserved a Ballon d'Or. I don't know in what year, but he deserved it. I think his move to PSG harmed him. I'd bet my house here that he ends up playing (the 2026 World Cup)."
– Saturday, 11 October 2025

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Gerard Pique

"It Cost Him Everything": Pique Reveals the One Move That Robbed Neymar of the Ballon d'Or | OneFootball

"It Cost Him Everything": Pique Reveals the One Move That Robbed Neymar of the Ballon d'Or

OneFootball Videos

"He deserved it for what he did"

"We tried to convince him to stay"

"Neymar's one of the greats"

Gerard Pique

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