The official Ballon d’Or list of 30 nominees was released, and Neymar, as expected, was not included. For some time now, Neymar has been supporting his teammate Rodrygo, who also did not make the list. In response to this, Neymar expressed his dissatisfaction via social media.
Following Rodrygo’s exclusion from the list of 30, the Real Madrid star posted a story on Instagram featuring images of the trophies he won last season with Real Madrid—the La Liga, Spanish Super Cup, Champions League, and European Super Cup—accompanied by a “laugh-cry” emoji. Although he didn’t explicitly state it, it was clear that he was expressing his discontent or confusion over being left off the list of 30.
Rodrygo’s stance received support from Neymar, who also posted a story on social media stating, “Rodrygo is at least one of the top five in the world!” The Brazilian superstar added the word “craque” and a clapping emoji. This Portuguese word is multi-meaning, capable of signifying “highly skilled,” but it can also mean “lie” or “bluff.” Only the person involved would know its true meaning.
The 23-year-old Rodrygo participated in 51 matches across all competitions for Real Madrid last season, scoring 17 goals and providing 9 assists. At the start of this season, he also contributed 1 goal and 1 assist. However, during this summer’s Copa America, Rodrygo made four appearances without registering any goals or assists.