Christophe Dugarry, who won the FIFA World Cup with France in 1998, has said Neymar can only blame himself for not winning the Ballon d’Or during his time with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
After winning it all with Barcelona, Brazilian superstar Neymar joined PSG in a world-record €222 million (£183 million) move in the summer of 2017. The Parisians expected the 2015 Treble winner to finally lead them to UEFA Champions League glory, but Neymar failed to live up to expectations.
Neymar Says He Faced Disrespect at PSG
After starting out as a favourite, Neymar slowly lost his rapport with PSG fans, with them booing him regularly towards the end of his stint. In the summer of 2023, Neymar left PSG for Al-Hilal, moving to the Saudi side for a €90 million (£77.6 million) fee.
In an interview with RMC Sport, Neymar recently opened up about his experience in the French capital.
“The first year in Paris was magnificent, I was very well received by the supporters, but the last two or three were not the same, it was not really fair the way I was treated. I think [Lionel] Messi experienced more or less the same thing. For me, they crossed the line (when fans came to his house). Our relationship was no longer respectful, whereas I always respected them… It was a really complicated situation. I was sad about the way I was treated at the end.”
Christophe Dugarry Says Neymar Has to Blame Himself for Failing to Win Ballon d’Or
On Rothen s’enflamme, Dugarry responded to Neymar’s comments, saying PSG did everything possible for the ex-Barca man to fulfil his potential and win the Ballon d’Or.
Dugarry said:
“He’s perhaps one of the three greatest players, in terms of intrinsic qualities. Afterwards, if the guy has never won the Ballon d’Or, there are reasons. I dream of a PSG player who leaves and says thank you to PSG. The guys were paid astronomical sums, they played in full stadiums, exceptional conditions for playing football. They carry everything for you, you do nothing. He was in the best possible and imaginable conditions. He could not have said once ‘I could have done better’. I never hear it, it annoys me.
“I’m not going to tell you that PSG did everything well, but is it not possible to say: ‘I worked in exceptional conditions, I had an incredible salary, I was lucky enough to play with stratospheric partners’. If Neymar didn’t win the Ballon d’Or with the qualities he has, you can only blame yourself. It’s not the fault of the idiots who came to see you at the end. Can’t he tell himself that he didn’t do enough?”
Neymar, 31, played 173 games for PSG in all competitions. He scored 118 times and provided 77 assists, winning five Ligue 1 titles and three Coupe de France trophies, among other honours.
