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Neymar Jr. has named Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the only two footballers he is second-best to in his career. The Brazilian was asked to rate himself in comparison to multiple big stars, including Mohamed Salah, his compatriot Vinicius Jr., and Luis Suarez.
Throughout the majority of his career, Neymar has been considered the successor to Messi and Ronaldo. Many would argue that his longevity and frequent injuries have stopped him from reaching his full potential. However, in terms of raw talent, the Brazilian may be compared to the two legends.
The Selecao superstar is known to have a successful on-the-pitch partnership with Lionel Messi - they played 206 games together for Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), contributing 67 joint-goal participations. Meanwhile, he has never shared the pitch with Cristiano Ronaldo. However, the duo have faced each other in eight games, with the Portuguese legend winning three, losing four and drawing one game.
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In an interview via Romario TV, Neymar Jr. was asked to choose between himself and a barrage of legendary footballers. The interviewer named the Brazilian's former teammates, including Angel Di Maria, Luis Suarez, and Kylian Mbappe but he chose himself over all of them.
He also notably chose himself over Selecao legend Romario, his compatriots Vinicius Jr. and Endrick, and Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah. However, Neymar Jr. chose both Messi and Ronaldo over himself in the interview.
Interviewer: You or Messi?
Answer: Messi.
Interviewer: You or Cristiano?
Answer: Cristiano.
The former Barcelona and PSG superstar is currently at Al-Hilal but has been sidelined due to a hamstring injury. He spent a year outside the pitch during his time in Saudi Arabia owing to an ACL injury.
"It's difficult to compete with them" - When Neymar Jr weighed in on Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo comparisons
In a 2014 interview with Global Esporte, Neymar shared his thoughts on being compared to legends like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He said:
"Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are better than any player today. It's difficult to compete with them. I don't know if I'll reach their level, but I hope to better myself each day. I always want to be better than I am."
The Selecao superstar's comments came before he won the treble with Barcelona in the 2014-15 season. He is often considered to have reached his peak at the Catalan club, having contributed 105 goals and 76 assists in 186 outings for La Blaugrana.
During his time at Barcelona (2013-17), the Brazil international formed one of the greatest attacking trios of all time alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. In 2017, he left the Catalan outfit to join PSG for a record €222 million transfer fee. In 2023, he left PSG to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal.
