Neymar: I deserve to be Ballon d'Or finalist

Barcelona’s in-form forward Neymar feels he deserves to be among the finalists for the Ballon d’Or this year.

The 23-year-old also feels team-mates Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez merit a place on the podium for the prestigious award, which will be presented at a ceremony in Zurich in January.

Messi is tipped to win the award for a fourth time, but there’s an increasing amount of people who believe the Brazilian deserves second spot ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo - or at very least a place among the top three.

Neymar continues to lead La Liga's scoring charts with 14 goals this season after adding two more in Barca’s 4-0 win over Real Sociedad on Saturday.

His brace against la Real took him onto 41 in a calendar year which has seen him help the Catalan side win La Liga, the Copa del Rey, the Champions League and the European Super Cup.

"I think I do deserve to be [among the finalists] for what I'm doing,” the 23-year-old told Globo Esporte.

“I would be happy if the trident [Neymar, Messi and Suarez] was among the three.

"Thanks to the history we are making and because of what we have conquered, all three should be there."

Messi has scored 44 goals in 2015, with Suarez also contributing 40 to the 125 goals accrued by the world’s most feared front line.

Those goals could yet lead to a fifth trophy before the end of the year, too, with Barcelona due to travel to Japan in December for the Club World Cup.