The former Chelsea and Ivory Coast star believes the pair each have what it takes to lift the award in the post-Messi and Ronaldo era

Didier Drogba believes Paris Saint-Germain’s “exceptional” strikers Neymar and Kylian Mbappe will both win the Ballon d’Or during their careers.

The pair have been instrumental in PSG’s dominance of French football since linking up at the start of the 2017-18 season, scoring 115 goals between them across all competitions.

Luka Modric broke Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s decade-long stranglehold on the Ballon d’Or last year and former Chelsea and Marseille striker Drogba has no doubt PSG’s potent attackers will join that illustrious group.

He told Le Parisien : “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.”

While Champions League winner Drogba thinks their individual talents will be recognised on the highest stage, he was keen to point out how impressively they work together in tandem.

“Neymar likes to create spaces and Kylian likes to move into those spaces. Neymar creates and Kylian profits. It works very well,” Drogba said.

“Just watch them when they are together on the pitch. 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, PSG are not as strong.”

Neymar has endured a mixed start to the campaign after an off-season transfer saga during which he reportedly pushed for a return to Barcelona.

He was booed by PSG’s own supporters during a home clash with Strasbourg on September 14 before scoring a stunning stoppage-time winner. He followed that up last weekend with another decisive late goal against Lyon.

Drogba believes the Brazilian has been harshly treated and does not think it will not take him long to be accepted by fans again.

“At the moment, it seems like it’s fashionable to criticise him for everything that happened [during the off-season]. But once he’s on the pitch, who can seriously say they do not take pleasure in watching him play?” Drogba said. 

“The more matches he plays, the more things will change and he will become what he was before.

“I’m sorry, but what happened this summer is what happens in all the big clubs with all the big players. There are some who want to leave and some their clubs want to keep. It’s the life of modern football.”