Neymar: I am not obsessed with the Ballon d'Or

Joe Wright

Neymar: I am not obsessed with the Ballon d'Or image

Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar insists team trophies are more important to him than winning a first Ballon d'Or.

The Brazil international joined from Barcelona in a world-record €222million transfer last month, in a move that many considered to be motivated by a desire to escape the shadow of Lionel Messi and challenge for football's top individual prize.

Neymar 11/1 to be CL top scorer

Neymar's form for the Ligue 1 side has certainly added weight to any hopes of winning the award, the 25-year-old having taken his tally to five goals and five assists in as many games after inspiring PSG to a 5-0 thrashing of Celtic on Tuesday.

However, the former Santos man says his focus is on helping the team to enjoy success, rather than claiming individual accolades.

"Of course a football player wants to win the Ballon d'Or," he said after the Champions League win in Glasgow. "But I don't have to think about it. I have to think about what's better for our group, our club.

"This is a great team and, if we keep going like this, we have a big chance of doing it [winning the tournament].

"I'm very happy to start with a win. Of course, it's not only about getting goals, but that's the most important. That's what we came for. I'm very happy with this game."

Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe were also on target, with PSG's formidable front three showing signs of developing into a fearsome trident.

Neymar, however, says they are still getting used to playing alongside one another.

"They are two great players, " he said of Cavani and Mbappe, who signed from Monaco last month. "We are getting to know each other.

"Cavani is an extraordinary striker, Kylian is a guy who likes going ahead, going for the ball. We'll get to know each other more and more.

"It's easy when you play with intelligent players. We still don't have a full understanding between us: through a look, a movement, we're still missing a little understanding, but we'll get better step by step."

Joe Wright

Joe Wright Photo

Joe is a Senior Editor at Sporting News. He was previously a sub editor and writer for Goal.com before spending six years as part of the Stats Perform editorial news service, covering major global sports including football, tennis, boxing, NBA, rugby union and athletics. Joe has reported live on some of the biggest games in football, including two UEFA Champions League finals, Euro 2016, the Confederations Cup 2017 and the 2018 World Cup final at the end of a month in Russia.