James Rodriguez praises Neymar's talent, cites tough competition

James Rodriguez has spoken out in support of Neymar Jr., stating that the Brazilian could have won three Ballon d'Or awards if he hadn’t competed against Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Rodriguez, a former Real Madrid midfielder, shared his thoughts during an interview on the show Los Amigos de Edu. Rodriguez believes that Neymar's talent has been overshadowed by the two football legends. He remarked, “In my opinion, if not for Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar would have won three Ballon d'Or. But he had to compete with these beasts." The Colombian also discussed his views on Real Madrid's current performance. Although he admitted he doesn’t watch many of their matches, he praised them for winning last year’s UEFA Champions League title, their 15th overall. Rodriguez also mentioned that with Kylian Mbappe joining the team, he thinks they will become even stronger. Rodriguez took a moment to commend Barcelona as well, especially young player Lamine Yamal. He compared Yamal's qualities to those of Neymar, predicting that Yamal will become a top-class player. James Rodriguez made a name for himself during the 2014 World Cup as the top scorer, leading him to a move to Real Madrid. He later left the club after six years, having won two league titles and two Champions League trophies. Now, he plays for Leon in Mexico, having joined them in January. Meanwhile, Neymar has returned to his childhood club, Santos FC, after a challenging stint in the Saudi Pro League. He struggled with injuries during his time at Al Hilal but has scored three goals and provided three assists for Santos this season. Neymar's next match will be against Vasco da Gama on March 31.