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What's the story?
Former Santos president Marcelo Teixeira is not surprised by Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar's recent links to Barcelona and Real Madrid as he believes the Brazilian has it in him to rival Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
In case you didn't know...
Neymar, who completed a record-breaking €222 million switch to PSG in the summer of 2017, has found himself at the centre of a transfer battle between arch-rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona this summer.
After indicating his desire to leave the Parc des Princes with a series of contentious remarks and actions, the 27-year-old generated heavy talk of a return to Barcelona, where he had spent four years before his move to France.
Real Madrid crashed the scene much later and began showing an interest in the Brazil international after it was rumoured that PSG were not keen on selling him back to the Catalan giants.
As per recent reports, Los Blancos are accelerating negotiations to sign the forward and are believed to be in a better position to do so than their Clasico rivals. A deal involving James Rodriguez is being mooted, and it remains to be seen if PSG will take up on the offer.
The heart of the matter
Teixeira has acknowledged that Neymar deserves the biggest stage in European football as he is "one of the best players" in the world, capable of rivalling the likes of Messi and Ronaldo.
In an interview with AS, he said,
"Neymar is one of the best players in the world. If you look at his individual quality, I think he's got it in him to rival even Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. I'm confident we'll see that happen.
"He's well advised by his representatives, so far be it for me to tell him what to do. [But] my advice to him would be to play football and demonstrate the unique abilities that he possesses, which are the product of hard work and dedication, of course, but most of all God-given talent."
What's next?
It will be interesting to see where Neymar will be plying his trade after the closure of the summer transfer window.
