Neymar finished his season with Barcelona scoring 40 goals including tallies in the finals of the Copa del Rey and Champions League. He had the kind of year that is often considered legendary and he seemed to be on his way to being a finalist for the 2015 Ballon d'Or.

Those dreams are now dashed after he was given a four-game ban by the CONMEBOL for his antics against Colombia in the Copa del Rey.

The tournament could not have gotten off to a better start for the Brazilian forward. Neymar had looked like a man possessed against Peru, scoring a brilliant header goal and then eventually putting through a magical pass for Douglas Costa that ensured a 2-1 win for Brazil. In between, he hit a cross bar and created one golden opportunity after another.

Against Colombia he exploded like a time bomb, creating an unnecessary sideshow out of his frustrations and costing his team from enjoying his talents for the rest of the tournament.

When Luis Suarez bit Giorgio Chiellini last summer, he nullified the good will he had created from his MVP season for Liverpool and his brilliant turn against England in the group round.

He did not even get into the short list despite clearly being among the top players in the world in 2014.

The reason? The award is voted on by captains from other nations in addition to coaches and members of the media. The Ballon d'Or is in some ways a popularity contest with good will skewing people toward voting one way or another.

Neymar will undoubtedly have lost a great deal of respect among other captains who would look down upon his behavior as a captain. Coaches will surely condemn him for not keeping his cool and leaving his team shorthanded. The members of the press? No need to comment here. All you need to do is go around and look at other articles to see what people feel about Neymar's behavior.

The issue is bigger, however, from a soccer perspective. If Brazil goes on to win without him, then his overall value is undercut. Brazil looked far more poised and balanced in its 2-1 win over Venezuela with Robinho and Willian starring in Neymar's place. The team looked more united in taking individual responsibilities to attack. With Neymar everyone seemed to get him the ball and hope that he managed to create on his own.

If the team somehow goes on without him, then it will be a dent on his credibility as team captain. He was not the MVP but the disturbance, a player whose focus by the media and soccer world, ultimately pushed other players to the margins, thus making them play that way. No image is more present than Neymar shoving away his teammates after receiving a yellow card prior to taking a free kick against Peru. This moment was probably more telling about how Neymar viewed himself, the ne-plus-ultra who could tell anyone anything he wanted and get away with it.

The world saw his meltdown and it is unlikely he gets the same benefit of the doubt when it comes to Ballon d'Or voting. Especially when Messi, who scored more goals in 2014-15 and has the same number of trophies, looks so mature and poised despite similar treatment to Neymar on the pitch.