France Football has slammed Neymar by revealing why the Paris Saint-Germain superstar was left off the Ballon d’Or shortlist.
The French magazine on Monday dropped the 30-man shortlist for the coveted award, which features the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Virgil van Dijk.
But Neymar, who finished 12th for the 2018 Ballon d’Or, has failed to secure his spot on the 2019 shortlist.
France Football has pulled no punches by publishing an online piece to outline the reasons behind the Neymar snub.
The 27-year-old Brazilian winger’s injury against Strasbourg, which ruled him out of PSG’s Champions League clashes with Manchester United, was highlighted as one of the reasons why he was left off the list.
Neymar watched on as the defending French champions suffered a shocking upset in the second leg and lashed out at UEFA officials.
The Brazil international would insult the officials and landed himself in hot water with UEFA, subsequently receiving a two-match ban in the European competition.
France Football claims that Neymar’s ban has been “without consequence, since his teammates have imposed themselves each time.”
The ex-Barcelona star’s behaviour was also spotlighted by the publication, which touched on his incident in April where he pushed a fan for insulting him after the Coupe de France final.
And Neymar’s struggles with injuries also left him absent from Brazil’s Copa America triumph on home soil in the summer.
However, France Football also blasted Neymar for his transfer saga in the summer and his open desire to leave the French capital.
The Ballon d’Or organisers called it the “soap opera of the summer” as he failed to complete a sensational return to Barcelona.
Last year’s Ballon d’Or winner, Luka Modric, became the first holder in history not to make the shortlist for the following year’s award.
But fans were also confused at how Tottenham shot-stopper Hugo Lloris made the 30-man shortlist.
The winner of the 2019 Ballon d’Or will be unveiled at a ceremony scheduled to take place on 2nd December at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris.
