Top 5 candidates to win the Ballon d'Or in 2018

#2 - Neymar Jr.:

2018 could finally be Neymar's year

One might think that the pressure on Neymar Jr. to prove his worth in 2018 is considerably lesser than the one on Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, because he plays in the French League as well as for being years younger than both of them, so would still have a shot at the World Cup in Qatar 2022.

However, this theory could not be any less inaccurate. As a matter of fact, the pressure on Neymar in 2018 will be higher than in any previous year throughout his career. After completing a mega-money swap from FC Barcelona to Paris Saint Germain, the expectations are very high from the most expensive player in football history.

If PSG invested so much in this transfer, it is essentially because they are aiming for UEFA Champions League triumph - despite the fact that the Brazilian's arrival has been a key factor as to why they are heavily likely to retrieve the Ligue 1 title after AS Monaco had snatched it away from them last season.

Neymar's first major challenge will be against Cristiano Ronaldo's Real Madrid, in the round of 16 in CL taking place in February. The Brazilian is demanded to show his best level in such big games, and to guide PSG all the way to the title.

Having said that, the FIFA World Cup remains the biggest tournament in World Football, and if Neymar manages to guide Brazil to the record sixth star, then you can bet that the whole globe will be talking about it. As opposed to 2014 when Cristiano Ronaldo was named the player of the year as World Cup winners Germany did not have a stand-out individual, if Brazil win the title this time around, Neymar would be the number one favorite to win the Ballon d'Or, as he is already a top three player in the world.