The Brazilian, 24 on Friday, would be a perfect successor for the fading Portuguese, who is 31 on the same day - and that is why Real Madrid's interest in him persists
Real Madrid were right about Neymar. The Brazilian was correctly indentified by Los Blancos as football's next big thing, but he moved to Barcelona instead. Two and a half years on, however, and with Cristiano Ronaldo not the force he once was, the former Santos striker would be a fantastic fit in the Portuguese's position.
Barca beat Madrid to the player's signature in 2013 and Real turned to Gareth Bale instead, but president Florentino Perez later admitted: "Had Neymar arrived, I'm sure we wouldn't have signed Bale."
Following his move to Camp Nou, Neymar's first goal gifted the Blaugrana the Spanish Supercopa, but it turned out to be the only trophy in a difficult debut season as Bale ended up hitting vital strikes in the finals of both the Copa del Rey and the Champions League.
Since then, however, the Brazilian has taken his game to a new level and along with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, forms a trident that Luis Enrique recently described as "the greatest in the history of football" - one that led Barca to the treble in 2014-15.
On Friday, Neymar turns 24 and on the same day, Cristiano celebrates his 31st birthday. However, the two men are at very different stages of their respective careers: the Barca attacker is on the way up; the Madrid forward on the way down.
At the Ballon d'Or ceremony in Zurich last month, Cristiano came second in the vote behind Barca's Lionel Messi as Neymar finished third. But the talk ahead of the gala was whether the Portuguese deserved to be there at all given the fine form of Suarez, Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski and others.
And afterwards, many speculated that the Real Madrid forward - a three-time winner of the prestigious prize - may never be back among the final shortlist of three after a year in which he failed to make a big impact in the most important games.
Neymar, meanwhile, was on the podium for the first time along with Messi and Ronaldo, who between them have won the Ballon d'Or for the past eight editions. The next name on the trophy, however, will surely be his.
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Real now have a decision to make in the summer. With Ronaldo's dominant days seemingly behind him, Madrid must weigh up their options. Should he be kept or replaced? With a two-window transfer ban hanging over them but now suspended until the summer, it may be a pertinent time to think about a successor.
Bale has been talked about as that player and it is true that we are likely to see a very different footballer when Ronaldo is no longer around. The Welsh winger would thrive as the main man in Madrid's attack and is likely to be handed that opportunity if Cristiano moves on in the summer.
But Madrid would still dearly love to sign Neymar and they have not given up hope, even though the player himself has said many times how happy he is in Barcelona, where he is great friends with both Messi and Suarez.
The fiscal fraud case investigating his signing and the monies paid to his parents has left him frustrated, however, and the player's father has admitted that he may consider moving on at some stage. Barca, meanwhile, are preparing a lucrative new deal for the brilliant Brazilian and Luis Enrique said recently: "I think Neymar will end up signing a new contract."
It is very hard to see Neymar upsetting team-mates, fans and everyone else at Barca by moving to Madrid, but it is perhaps not so difficult to imagine the Brazilian playing for Los Blancos some time in the future.
Like his compatriot Ronaldo, who spent a season at Barca in 1996-97 before moving to Inter and then joining Real in 2002, Neymar is a player who may well seek fresh challenges in another league before returning to Spain later in his career.
And even if he does sign a new long-term deal, Florentino is likely to keep tabs on the 24-year-old for some time to come. Because Perez knows that he was the one who got away.
Cristiano has been superb for Real since 2009 and is still part of the present of Madrid under Zinedine Zidane. But football's future star is another attacker born on February 5: Neymar. And despite his Barca ties, the Brazilian would be the perfect Ronaldo replacement over on Real's left flank.
- Goal