Neymar: I hoped to finish second in Ballon d’Or vote

This content was originally posted in 7DAYS UAE website at: Neymar: I hoped to finish second in Ballon d’Or vote Barcelona and Brazil striker Neymar admitted that he hoped to have finished second in the voting for the Ballon d’Or. Team-mate Lionel Messi secured his fifth Ballon d’Or with 41.33 per cent followed by Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo (27.76 per cent) and Neymar in third (7.86 per cent). The 23-year-old Neymar told ‘Marca’: “In all honesty, I’d hoped to come second. I’m delighted to be here alongside two footballing greats. I hope to come back and for my team to keep winning. “I don’t want to be better than anyone else; I just want to better myself. Now I have to work a little bit more to be amongst the three finalists again.” Neymar also spoke of his admiration for team-mate Messi and Madrid rival Ronaldo. “I don’t know if I’m at the same level as Messi or Cristiano,” added Neymar. “They are players who I really admire. I’ve watched them play since I was young and it’s amazing for me to be here with them. “I see Leo every day and I admire him as a player and an individual. He’s really easy-going and a good friend. I follow Cristiano more on television. “But they’ve both been coming here for eight or nine years and I want to be like them one day, trying to beat their own records.” Read the original story at: Neymar: I hoped to finish second in Ballon d’Or vote