The injury stat that shows why Neymar has always fallen short

Neymar is an undoubtedly talented footballer, but this stat from AS shows exactly why he has never been in the Ballon D’Or conversation.

When Neymar was coming through in his native Brazil as a teenager, many thought that they were witnessing the player who was going to define his generation.

While he certainly hasn’t failed since moving to Europe, winning the treble at Barcelona and enjoying domestic success in France, Neymar has never threatened to win the Ballon D’Or and establish himself as THE best in the world.

This stat from AS, in wake of Neymar picking up another injury midweek, could be the explanation. The 28-year-old has been injured for a total of 368 days during his career so far, which has seen him miss out on 64 games.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo (positive coronavirus tests aside) are ever-present and very rarely injured. It’s their consistency in staying fit, performing and making the difference when it matters that has separated them from the rest over the years.

Neymar can certainly perform, but has yet been unable to make a difference when it has really mattered, like in the Champions League final, and one thing is for absolute sure – he has an inability to stay fit.

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