According to BD Cricket Live, few could have predicted that with both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in La Liga, it would be Neymar who would dominate the charts after 12 rounds. Neymar now leads La Liga in four major categories: goals, assists, successful dribbles, and chances created. In just three seasons with Barcelona, Neymar’s stats have skyrocketed, placing him shoulder to shoulder with the two Ballon d’Or legends.
Heading into the upcoming Ballon d’Or awards early next year, Neymar appears poised to be a dark horse contender, especially with Messi sidelined for two months and Ronaldo struggling with form. After 12 rounds, Neymar has tallied 12 goals, 4 assists, 46 successful dribbles, and created 43 chances — all topping La Liga charts. In Messi’s absence, Neymar naturally became the heart of Barcelona’s attack, but what truly stands out is his remarkable increase in dribbling. Over the past five seasons, Messi led La Liga in dribbles four times, but Neymar has now taken up that mantle.
In contrast, Ronaldo’s dribbling numbers have plunged dramatically. During the 2009–10 season, Ronaldo completed 91 successful dribbles, but this season he has managed only 17 — an average of just 1.4 per match, compared to Neymar’s impressive 4.18. That’s nearly three times more than the Real Madrid star.
Looking at Neymar’s three-year progression, the numbers tell the story of a player blossoming before our eyes. In the 2013–14 season, Neymar made 19 La Liga appearances, scoring 9 goals and providing 8 assists, averaging 0.47 goals and 0.21 assists per match. In 2014–15, his output soared: 29 appearances, 22 goals, 7 assists, with averages of 0.75 goals and 0.24 assists. Fast forward to this season, Neymar has already played 11 matches, scoring 12 goals and assisting 4 times, averaging an incredible 1.09 goals and 0.36 assists per game. His scoring rate has more than doubled since his debut season.
This remarkable rise can be credited to Neymar’s adaptation to La Liga and his growing influence at Barcelona. During his first season, Neymar averaged 2.6 shots, 3.0 dribbles, 1.6 key passes, and 58.5 touches per match, with a shooting conversion rate of 13.2%. This season, those numbers have all climbed: 4.6 shots, 4.3 dribbles, 3.7 key passes, and 85.4 touches per game, with a sparkling 23.9% shooting conversion rate. Compared to his debut season, Neymar is now taking 1.65 times more shots and delivering 2.31 times more key passes, while his overall involvement has also sharply increased.
However, not everything is on the rise. Neymar’s passing accuracy has dipped slightly — from 84.5% in 2013–14 to 81% last season, and 79.5% this year. His short passes per game have also fallen from 1.3 to 1.1. These drops suggest that Neymar is channeling more energy into attacking plays, a trade-off expected as he assumes a greater offensive role.
As BD Cricket Live highlights, Neymar’s all-round offensive numbers now position him as a true Ballon d’Or contender alongside Messi and Ronaldo. Yet, his greatest challenge may come not from an external rival, but from within — competing directly with Messi himself. During Messi’s absence, Neymar quickly adapted and exploded, scoring 11 goals and providing 7 assists across 8 matches, averaging an incredible 2.25 goal contributions per game — a level comparable to Messi at his absolute peak.