I'm not going to die if I don't win the Ballon d'Or! -- Neymar
Neymar says he’s not going to “die” if he doesn’t win the Ballon d’Or.
The Barcelona star finished third last year, behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, although he dropped down to fifth this year. Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann finished above him.
However, the Brazil international insists he’s not focused on individual recognition.
“I’m not going to die if I don't win it,” he said in an interview with LaLiga. “It's obvious that [the Ballon d'Or] is a source of motivation, but, above all, I want to be happy and at Barcelona I'm happy.”
Barça are three points behind Real Madrid at the top of the table having played a game more. Going into the New Year, though, Neymar is adamant they can hunt down Zinedine Zidane’s men.
“There is still a long way to go [in the title race],” the forward added. "We are just focused on our matches. We can't be worried about Real Madrid.
“Last year we were 11 points ahead of second but we only won the league in the last match of the season. It's a tough competition and every game is difficult."
