Neymar has made a bold statement ahead of the 2026 Ballon d’Or after publicly calling Barcelona star Lamine Yamal the best player in the world.

Not Messi, Neymar Names the Best Player in the World Ahead of Ballon d’Or 2026

Neymar has made a huge statement ahead of the 2026 Ballon d’Or after publicly calling Lamine Yamal the best player in the world.

The Brazilian superstar shared a statistical comparison involving the Barcelona forward on Instagram.

He then tagged Yamal and added a very clear message.

Neymar described the 19-year-old as the “best in the world.”

Neymar sends message to Yamal

Neymar shared a post comparing Yamal’s current form with some of the best individual seasons of recent years.

The graphic included performances from Neymar himself and Lionel Messi.

After sharing the post, Neymar tagged Yamal and wrote:

“Best in the world.”

The message quickly attracted attention because Neymar has a close relationship with Messi and previously played alongside Kylian Mbappe at Paris Saint-Germain.

Yamal’s numbers explain the praise

Yamal has started the 2026-27 season in incredible form for Barcelona.

After his first 10 matches, the Spanish star has recorded:

8 goals

9 assists

17 goal contributions

8.61 average Sofascore rating

Those numbers have made Yamal one of the most productive attacking players in Europe.

Yamal closes in on Neymar’s incredible level

The comparison Neymar shared also included his brilliant 2017-18 season with PSG.

Neymar recorded an average Sofascore rating of 8.81 during that campaign.

He also scored 25 goals and provided 16 assists in 27 appearances.

Yamal’s current average rating of 8.61 is already close to one of Neymar’s best individual seasons.

That appears to be one of the reasons the Brazilian was so impressed.

Messi also appears in the comparison

Lionel Messi was also included in the statistical graphic.

Several of the Argentine legend’s best Barcelona seasons appeared among the highest-rated campaigns.

The comparison listed Messi with average ratings of 8.52, 8.40 and 8.39 across different seasons.

Yamal’s current 8.61 rating is higher than all three Messi seasons included in that particular comparison.

However, the graphic does not prove that Yamal has already had a better career or season than Messi overall.

Neymar did not directly reject Messi

There is one important detail behind the story.

Neymar was not asked directly to choose between Messi and Yamal.

He also did not say that Messi was no longer one of the greatest players in the world.

Instead, Neymar reacted to Yamal’s current form by calling him the best player in the world.

That difference is important when understanding the message.

Huge statement before Ballon d’Or 2026

The timing of Neymar’s comment makes it even more interesting.

The 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony is approaching and Yamal is among the leading candidates for the award.

Kylian Mbappe is also expected to be one of his main rivals.

Neymar’s public support could add even more attention to Yamal’s Ballon d’Or campaign.

Yamal continues extraordinary season

The Barcelona star has recently produced several impressive performances in both La Liga and the Champions League.

His two assists against Galatasaray helped Barcelona secure a 4-1 victory in Europe.

That performance also helped Yamal break another Champions League record.

At only 19, he is already producing numbers that compare with some of the biggest stars of the modern era.

Neymar makes his choice clear

Neymar has played alongside some of the greatest footballers of his generation.

That includes Messi at Barcelona and Mbappe at PSG.

But his latest message was focused completely on Yamal.

By calling the Barcelona youngster the “best in the world,” Neymar has added another major voice to the growing praise around Yamal.

And with the Ballon d’Or ceremony getting closer, the timing of that message could hardly be more dramatic.