The Brazil superstar has enjoyed an astonishingly prolific season at Barcelona thus far and Gaizka Mendieta has backed the Blaugrana attacker to match the historic rivals
Former Spain international Gaizka Mendieta believes that Neymar can follow in the footsteps of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and achieve history.
The Barcelona superstar recently competed for the Ballon d’Or alongside team-mate Messi and rival Ronaldo and at 23 - which is five years younger than the Argentine and seven younger than the former Manchester United star - he has age on his side.
Neymar has enjoyed an astonishing season thus far, scoring 20 goals in 25 appearances in all competitions and also providing 17 assists.
And Mendieta has backed the Brazil captain to emulate the illustrious pair, though he has urged him to remain humble if he is to do so.
“Ronaldo and Messi already made history and Neymar will do that, too,” he told Goal in an exclusive interview. "But talent is nothing without humility and the motivation to thrive for perfection. That's all they want.
“They work on it every day and push each other to great performances."
Meanwhile, Mendieta has hailed Barca’s fabled ‘MSN’ frontline, with Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez scoring a staggering 69 goals between them across all competitions in 2015-16.
“I am not sure they're the best of all time, but they are certainly one of the best,” he added. “Football always had cycles of dominance which were shaped by players like them.
“During the last 15 years, surely Barcelona is the best team. They've impressed with their attacking game and how they executed it.
“Messi, Neymar and Suarez are the shining stars, but they need a functioning team around them, too."
- Goal