Drogba says both Neymar and Kylian Mbappe can win the Ballon d’Or

Chelsea legend Didier Drogba believes both Neymar and Kylian Mbappe are capable of winning the Ballon d’Or crown in the future. Neymar was heavily touted to leave Paris Saint-Germain to rejoin Barcelona this summer and that was not meant to be after the Blaugrana failed to meet the transfer demands of the French champions.

As a result, Neymar appears set to play alongside Mbappe for the third season running and Drogba believes the pair could be winning the Ballon d’Or accolade at some stage, he told: “Neymar and Mbappe will one day win the Ballon d’Or. They are part of this small group of exceptional players. There are very few in the world. Because it is incredibly complementary.

“Neymar likes to create spaces and take offs. Kylian likes to take these spaces. That’s it: Neymar creates and Kylian profits. It works very well. Just watch them when they are together on the ground. They are constantly looking for each other. It’s almost the first thing they do when they touch the ball. It is obvious that when they are not on the pitch, Paris is much less strong.”

Neymar had been desperate to make the return to the Camp Nou during the summer but the Blaugrana could not find the breakthrough with the Ligue 1 holders, who were looking for a straight cash deal of around £200m. The Brazil international has since reintegrated into the Les Parisiens setup with a couple of appearances but he has not been able to play alongside Mbappe and Edinson Cavani, who have been carrying minor injuries.

Paris Saint-Germain are currently top of their league standings with 18 points on the board after the opening eight league games. In terms of the Champions League, they have made a statement with a thumping 3-0 triumph over Real Madrid during the group stage opener.