Neymar continues to make a case for 2015 Ballon d'Or over injured Messi

Brazilian and Barcelona legend Rivaldo recently weighed in on the subject of the 2015 Ballon d'Or. "In my humble opinion, respecting Cristiano Ronaldo and (Lionel) Messi and others, Neymar deserves to be the best in the world," the 1999 Ballon d'Or winner said.

Rivaldo's opinion is not without value, though it is likely biased by his Brazil and Barcelona allegiances. While Rivaldo and Brazil coach Dunga have endorsed their compatriot, Neymar makes a strong case considering Ronaldo failed to collect notable silverware and Messi struggled to finish the calendar year fit.

So, as another year expires, football must decide to name the top player of the calendar year 2015.

It's simple to make the case for Ronaldo, winner of the Ballon d’Or in 2013 and 2014, and simpler still to dismiss. The Portuguese put together another spectacular season of scoring. If the award simply went to the player with the most goals, Ronaldo would easily collect his third straight Ballon d’Or. After all, the 30-year-old scored 48 goals in La Liga during the 2014-15 campaign – five goals better than Messi. He also finished tied for top scorer in the 2014-15 Champions League, alongside Messi and Neymar.

Entering the November international break, Ronaldo has eight goals in La Liga, which is tied for third best, and five goals in the Champions League, which leads Europe. While Ronaldo has performed on an individual level – and the Ballon d’Or is an individual award – the story of the sport is told via team success, of which Ronaldo has tasted zilch in 2015.

In a year when Barcelona completed the treble, the winner of the Ballon d’Or must wear the blue and red stripes of the Catalan club. To simplify, the award comes down to choosing between Neymar and Messi, Brazil versus Argentina.

When his stoppage time goal in the 2015 Champions League final sealed Barcelona’s treble, Neymar became the first-ever player to score in both legs of the Champions League quarterfinals and semifinals, as well as the final. When it mattered most, Neymar scored for Barcelona. Seven of his 10 European goals came against Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Juventus – the champions of France, Germany and Italy, respectively.

While Messi may be the first letter in the “MSN” partnership and get the extra attention that comes with being first, Neymar combined with the Argentine to great effect early in the 2014-15 season until Luis Suarez was ready to complete the triumvirate. Messi, Suarez and Neymar would go on to become the most prolific attacking trident in the history of the sport with 122 goals for the season, and Neymar deserved a third of that credit.

However, as long as Messi featured on the same pitch as the Brazilian, the world continued to be reminded that the Argentine remained the best player on the planet.

Neymar may have been the consistent scorer late in the Champions League, but Messi broke Jerome Boateng’s ankles to break the internet. Then, in the Champions League final, the Argentine made a trademark slalom run and took a shot at Gianluigi Buffon. The shot rebounded to Suarez, who slotted Barcelona’s go-ahead goal. Messi also created the match-winning goal, and Neymar’s final tally only came in stoppage time when Juventus desperately pushed forward in search of an equalizer.

In claiming the treble, Messi clearly deserved to be recognized as the best player on the planet once again.

Messi went on to the 2015 Copa America in Chile and led Argentina to the final against the host nation. Messi and Argentina lost in the final of a major tournament for the second successive season, and rather than accept the player of the tournament award in defeat for the second year running, he did not accept the trophy. The player of the tournament award simply disappeared from the award ceremony in Santiago.

In the same tournament, Neymar scored in Brazil’s opening match against Peru but lost his head and got sent off against Colombia. For the second year running, his tournament ended after a match against Colombia, as Neymar’s 2014 World Cup ended due to a fractured vertebra after taking a knee in the back from Camilo Zuniga.

If the award had been decided over the summer, Messi would have won it with near certainty. However, the Ballon d’Or candidacy runs through the end of November, and Neymar’s contributions during the 2015-16 campaign have strengthened the Brazilian’s case significantly.

Entering the current international break, Barcelona is three points clear in La Liga despite Messi not having played since late September. With Messi out, both Suarez and Neymar picked up the slack, but the Brazilian has taken the lead role with 11 goals to lead all of Spain. Hardly insignificant, Suarez has nine goals in La Liga, but Neymar is shining brightest at the moment, and his recent wonder goal exemplifies the 23-year-old’s form.

In Europe, Barcelona is sitting at the top of its Champions League group and has virtually qualified for the knockout rounds with Neymar contributing two goals and an assist over the first four match days. This is where the Brazilian makes his case as the top player on the planet.

Had Neymar not elevated his performance with Messi and a host of Barcelona regulars sidelined, Barcelona would likely not be in the running to become the first side to repeat the treble. Even if Barcelona loses the upcoming El Clasico against Real Madrid on Nov. 21, the Catalans would stay level on points with the Madristas at the top of La Liga. However, if Messi misses out and Neymar plays a pivotal role in pushing Barcelona six points clear of Real Madrid in Spain, the argument to recognize the Brazilian’s contributions for the duration of the year would grow louder, as they should.

Halfway through 2015, suggesting that Neymar should get the Ballon d’Or over Messi would have sounded blasphemous and plain idiotic. However, five months later, calling Neymar the best in the world may not sound so crazy.

Shahan Ahmed is a soccer columnist for Yahoo Sports. Follow Shahan on Twitter: @ShahanLA and @perfectpass