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Neymar scored 24 goals in the second half of Barcelona's treble-winning 2014/15 season, and he has become an even more prominent figure during Messi's recent injury absence. The Brazilian tops the Spanish scoring charts with 14 La Liga goals this season, and while Sky Bet make him the third favourite to win the award, Balague thinks he is well placed to usurp Ronaldo.
I do feel Neymar is more influential these days," Balague said. "It was noted when Messi got injured for two months, but generally in the last 12 months you've got one of the few players in the world who can beat defenders, whose pace is electrifying, and who not only scores but assists as well. He's got everything to be the second best player in the world."
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Messi has already claimed the award four times and he is Sky Bet's overwhelming favourite to win an unprecedented fifth, having missed out to Cristiano Ronaldo for the last two years. The Argentine led Barcelona to a La Liga, Champions League and Copa del Rey treble last season, scoring a remarkable 28 goals in the second half of the campaign.
He was unable to inspire his country to Copa America success in Chile during the summer, but he looks back to his best since returning from injury this month and Balague thinks he deserves to win it.
"Barcelona can still compete against anyone without him but to get the records and the titles that will make them an extraordinary side, they need Messi," he said. "You have to give him the Ballon d'Or again. You have to reward what we're seeing, which is absolutely out of this world."
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The father of Barcelona striker Neymar confirmed that Manchester United had tried to lure the star to the Premier League, but that the offer was dismissed. Brazil's captain is currently in talks to sign a long-term extension to his current deal at Camp Nou, with a final agreement likely at the start of 2016.
But on Thursday evening, Neymar Sr revealed that rumours which had linked Louis Van Gaal's team to a move for his son were accurate.
"The offer reached Barcelona and the club contacted us saying they were not going to sell [Neymar]," he told Boa Tarde Fox.
"They asked if we were interested, but that wasn't the case. Barcelona are not selling, he has three years still to go on his contract.
"It was Manchester's deal, but that offer is not on the table now, it has fallen through."

The Spain international is set to move to Old Trafford as both clubs have already reached an agreement, though Neymar's contraction of the mumps has temporarily put the deal on hold as Barcelona wanted to use Pedro in the European Super Cup against Sevilla and the Supercopa de Espana versus Athletic Bilbao.
Luis Enrique has made it clear the situation has proved a distraction,
though, and he is counting down the days until August 31, when the window shuts in Spain.
"It's a difficult situation, it's hard to be focused," Luis Enrique said after Barcelona drew 1-1 with Athletic Bilbao on Monday, losing 5-1 on aggregate in the Supercopa de Espana "I am just hoping that this damned transfer window closes once and for all to know which players I can count on. But Pedro gave his all."
Barca, who are unable to register and field new players until January, have recruited Aleix Vidal and Arda Turan, while Xavi, Gerard Deulofeu, Adama Traore, Martin Montoya and Ibrahim Afellay have left Camp Nou.
Barca were leading 1-0 at Camp Nou on Monday as they attempted to claw back a 4-0 first-leg deficit when the centre-back reacted fiercely towards the linesman for failing to spot what he considered to be a clear offside call in the 55th minute.
The referee, Velasco Carballo, responded by giving Pique a straight red card, much to the despair of Luis Enrique's European champions who shortly afterwards conceded to an Aritz Aduriz strike to seal a 5-1 aggregate win for the Basque side.
In his referee's report after the Supercopa second leg, Carballo clarified the exact language which earned Pique his marching orders and potentially an extended ban.
"Fifty-five minutes in Barcelona's No.3, Gerard Pique Bernabeu, was expelled for the following reason: shouting 'I s*** on your w**** mother' at the assistant," his report reads.
Pique's flouting of Article 94 of La Liga's code of ethics - "using insults, verbal abuse or having an insulting attitude" - could see him suspensed for four to 12 matches.
The former Manchester United defender will definitely be absent for the first game of the season, which sees Barca return to San Mames to face Athletic on Sunday - nine days after they were hammered 4-0 in the first leg of the Supercopa.

With the Catalans having been taken to extra-time in Tuesday's Uefa Super Cup win over Sevilla in Tbilisi, the Blaugrana boss decided to rotate his squad for the trip to San Mames. “I had to make many changes because we had only three days to recover. I take responsibility for the loss,” Luis Enrique told the media after the clash.


“The schedule hurt us, as we had just come back from a trip to Georgia, but this is not the time to look for excuses. The calendar is what it is.”
The 45-year-old was full of praise for the Basque outfit, who broke the deadlock courtesy of a sensational long-distance strike from Mikel San Jose before romping to a famous win thanks to a brilliant second-half treble from Aritz Aduriz.
However, Luis Enrique has not given up hope of Barca turning things around at Camp Nou next week.
“I've never played an easy game against Athletic. I congratulate them, but on Monday there will be another atmosphere,” he added.
“Is a comeback possible? This was just the first half. If there's one team that can turn this around it's Barca.”
Meanwhile, Barca skipper Andres Iniesta is also optimistic that they can keep their sextuple hopes alive with a dramatic comeback on home soil.
“We paid for a few mistakes," the midfielder stated. "We didn't play well. It'll be very tough, but we'll try to turn this around. It's not impossible."

Barcelona forward Luis Suarez says he made the "right decision" leaving Liverpool last summer.
"Leaving Liverpool for Barcelona was the right decision,” Suarez told Sport360.


"Winning trophies was a part of my decision in joining Barcelona, but also as a family we knew it was the right decision even before I won a trophy.
"I am very happy at Barcelona – I am at the best club in the world."

The European champions were cruising with a 4-1 lead early in the second half after a Lionel Messi brace and goals from Luis Suarez and Rafinha had cancelled out Ever Banega's opener. But Unai Emery's men fought their way back and forced the game into extra time, only for Pedro to score a 115th-minute winner to secure a 5-4 win for Barca.
"It seems Barcelona are expected to win every title, but it is not always like this. People think Barca win automatically but that's not the case. We should be proud of these players," Luis Enrique told reporters.
"What we did has a lot of merit. So I am very proud of how the players managed to restart again when it was 4-4 and create new chances.
"When you're leading 4-1, the opponent has nothing to lose. Obviously we have to analyse what happened and the risk that Sevilla took. They managed to come back. It happens sometimes. They had a penalty and used the wings.
"It was the same last season in La Liga. We were leading 2-0 and finally they drew the game. Today it happened the same in a final, but we can't forget Sevilla's strength."
Luis Enrique said he felt the game was over in the 52nd minute, when Suarez struck to make it 4-1, but Jose Antonio Reyes, Kevin Gameiro and Yevhen Konoplyanka all scored to take the game into extra time in Tbilisi.
"We knew how tough our opponent would be. Games can start randomly, like this one did. I think it was a great game for the fans.
"By the third minute we were losing, but at the 50th minute it seemed done. It is always difficult when you're facing an opponent at such a high level, it is always difficult.
"We are happy for our fans and players. The players put in an important effort after Sevilla managed to equalise. We're satisfied and now it's time to recover."
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That the versatile attacker did not start against Sevilla had nothing to do with his desire to leave the Catalans for Manchester United, the president says
Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu has stressed that Pedro did not start Tuesday's 5-4 Uefa Super Cup win over
Sevilla from the bench because he is set to leave the club for Manchester United, but that his substitute role was the result of a tactical decision from Luis Enrique instead.
The 28-year-old was widely expected to start in Georgia due to the absence of Neymar, but Luis Enrique opted to give Rafinha the nod instead. The winger eventually came on and proved decisive as he scored the winning goal late in injury time, prodding home the rebound from a Lionel Messi shot.
Pedro is set to leave Barca for United in the upcoming weeks after both clubs reached an agreement, but Neymar's contraction of the mumps has put the deal on hold for now.
Technical secretary Robert Fernandez confirmed ahead of Tuesday's encounter that Pedro has asked to leave the club, though the winger himself denied it.
Either way, the club chief insists his place on the bench was unrelated to his desire to move on.
"Pedro being on the bench was purely a tactical decision," Bartomeu told
Antena3 .
"We've got a lot of players in the squad and it's hard to make the starting XI. It has nothing to do with Pedro leaving.
"Rafinha started the match because he's a great player."

The Barcelona midfielder missed the Super c\Cup final for something more important in his life. The player ties the knot which ends the hopes of many young chics out there hoping to have him

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Pedro has denied claims that he has asked to leave Barcelona but admits he remains in a "difficult situation".
The 28-year-old was omitted from the Catalan giants' starting XI for Tuesday's Uefa Super Cup clash with Sevilla in Tbilisi, with the club's technical secretary Robert Fernandez telling TV3 that the winger had asked to leave the club.Despite coming off the bench to score a dramatic extra-time winner in a 5-4 Barca win, Pedro appeared reluctant to join the rest of Luis Enrique's squad in the trophy celebrations, fuelling speculation that he is set to complete a long-awaited move to Manchester United to fill the void left by Angel di Maria.
But when questioned on his situation after the match, Pedro rebuked Fernandez for commenting publicly and insisted that his feelings are more complicated than simply wanting to leave Camp Nou.
"I am not completely happy in the situation. Robert Fernandez said something he doesn't know. I spoke with the captains, the president, the coach... just a few seconds with him. I don't understand why he said I asked to leave using these words, he doesn't know how I feel in this team.
"I will always be a Barcelona supporter, no matter what finally happens.
"When there are rumours that I can leave it is not an easy situation for me. I have always tried to give my best to the club. I am ambitious and I want to play as much as possible.
"I was angry when I knew I had to stay on the bench, having had a chance with Neymar's illness.
"I don't want to leave Barcelona but it is a complicated situation. It is not a money question, but a continuity question. I want to play. Luis Enrique preferred other players and I have been waiting a lot of time."
When questioned about omitting Pedro from his starting XI after the match, Luis Enrique replied: "Pedro couldn't train two days ago for a muscular pain and we already know his situation.
"I chose what I thought was best and I would make the same decision again."
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The Argentine scored two free-kicks to give the Catalans the lead after Ever Banega's early goal. Barca eventually raced to a 4-1 lead, but the Europa League winners clawed their way back to take it into extra-time. In the 115th minute, Messi saw a shot after another threatening free-kick saved, only for Pedro, who Barcelona confirmed wants to leave, popped up to win the match.
Sevilla winger Vitolo was full of praise for his side after a strong performance, but he admitted that an on-form Messi was impossible to overcome.
"Messi is the best player of all time and today he had a stormer," he told reporters.
"The side put in a 10 out of 10 performance. We ran loads - it's not easy to come back from 4-1 down against Barcelona."
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The Spain attacker is poised to make a £22.3 million move away from Camp Nou to Manchester United in the days ahead but struck a winner in the 115th minute to end a pulsating game in which the Andalucians had fought back from 4-1 down to force an additional period.
Mascherano hopes that Pedro, 27, might yet remain with the Catalans as he is capable of such decisive contributions.
“Hopefully he can stay here,” the Argentine said after the fixture. “He’s one of those players who’s great on big occasions. He’s been a magician since he joined us. He plays for special moments like this.”
Speaking of the game, Mascherano was not pleased it became as entertaining as it did.
“Neutral fans won’t have seen such a spectacle before,” he stated. “But from our side, we feel some frustration. We had things in our hands but let go of it. We must improve things because we made mistakes that complicated life.
“We fell away and let them into the game. We didn’t control the game when we had to, but we had individual talent that let us win another title.”
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The Spain international has been strongly linked with a move to Manchester United this summer and, speaking ahead of Barca's European Super Cup clash against Sevilla tonight, Enrique said: "I have never decided to pick a player or leave him out because of the transfer window.

"I would like to keep all my players through the whole season. But we have talked enough about Pedro. The solution will arrive soon."
Song is back at the Camp Nou after an impressive season on loan at West Ham United, who were tipped to sign him on a permanent basis earlier this summer.
However, Sport reports that the Hammers are not considering re-signing him, either on loan or on a permanent deal, at the moment. No other clubs have shown any interest either.
Barca are currently looking to offload the former Arsenal midfielder, who is under contract until 2017.
Barca are due to take on Sevilla in the Super Cup in Tbilisi on Tuesday, before two legs of the domestic Supercopa against Athletic Bilbao on August 14 and 17.
But they will have to do so without the Brazil forward, who has come down with the viral infection.
A club statement read: "The first team medical staff at FC Barcelona has announced on Sunday that Neymar will be out for two weeks after being diagnosed with parotitis (mumps), despite the fact that he had previously been vaccinated against the disease."
Barca will hope Neymar returns when they kick off their La Liga season with a third meeting against Athletic in the space of nine days on August 23.
Manchester United have reached an initial agreement with Barca over the signing of the Spain international , with a total fee of €32 million - surpassing his €30m release clause - to be paid, depending on bonuses.
However, Fernandez remains upbeat that both Pedro and full-back Adriano will ultimately decide to remain at Camp Nou. "Pedro's buyout clause is €30m. He is a player who has performed fantastically for Barca," Fernandez told reporters at his official presentation.
"Both the coach and I want him to stay. We don't want to lose him but we know that this is a risky situation and we will have to wait. If he goes, we will lose a lot of things.
"Adriano is a similar case to Pedro. We want him to stay and we think he will stay. The coach also considers him to be an important player.
"I spoke to them in San Francisco and I get the feeling that they will stay. We are working on it.
"If they stay, there will be no more signings, although we are always open to possibilities and always working for the good of the team."

Fernandez also confirmed that Alen Halilovic will be loaned out for the coming season and admitted that Adama Traore could also quit the club due to a lack of first-team opportunities.
"Halilovic is sure to go on loan to another team. We have told the player that is Barca's intention," he said.
"We will look for a loan deal where he can continue to develop as a player and come back next year. He's a young player with a lot of quality.
"Adama is a magnificent player but due to certain circumstances he hasn't managed to find a place in the first team. He might leave."
Fernandez has stressed, however, that all forthcoming transfers will have to be agreed upon with head coach Luis Enrique.
"I really got to know him two or three days after Barca won the Champions League in Berlin," he said. "I got a very positive feeling about him.
"We found that we think along the same lines. A technical secretary needs to have a good relationship with the coach. One of the reasons I am here is because I get on so well with him. We would never sign a player unless we both agreed on it."
Messi reacted angrily to something said by the Roma defender during the first half of Wednesday's friendly at Camp Nou, thrusting his head towards the France international before then grabbing his opponent by the throat. Both players were booked for their role in the altercation but there have been claims that Messi was the aggressor and should have been dismissed.
However, Mestre feels that the whole affair was much ado about nothing.
"It is what happens in football games," he told reporters on Thursday. "I think it is anecdotal and there is no reason for giving this chapter more importance.
"It happens and it will keep happening in the future. It is normal when you play football."
After Neymar had opened the scoring in Catalunya, Messi doubled Barca's advantage shortly after the Yanga-Mbiwa incident before being replaced midway through the second half.
The four-time Ballon d'Or winner is now expected to lead the European champions' attack once more, in Tuesday's Uefa Super Cup showdown with Europa League winners Sevilla.

The 18-year-old is one of the hottest young talents in Brazilian football and several big European sides have shown an interest in him.
Barca reportedly paid Fluminense €3m to secure a preference right on the teenager, but Roma jumped to the front of the queue after tabling a formal offer of €15m. However, the player’s father met Fluminense officials on Monday to tell them that he wants to reject Roma’s proposal as he has his heart set on moving to Barcelona instead.
Fluminense and Barca are now expected to put the finishing touches on a €12m deal over the coming days.
It looks increasingly likely that the Spain forward will move to United, especially as the Premier League side are about to cash in on Argentina winger Angel Di Maria. Marca reports that United and Barca have all but agreed a fee, with Pedro likely to move for between €30m and €32m.
With the start of the Premier League season and their involvement in Champions League qualifiers on the horizon, United want to finalise the deal as soon as possible, but Barca want to retain his services until after they have taken on fellow La Liga outfit Sevilla in the UEFA Cup in Tblisi on August 11.
Barca are mindful that Lionel Messi and Neymar may not be in peak physical condition by the time they face Sevilla and, as such, they want Pedro to be available for the European fixture.
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