Throughout the early part of 2013 Zinedane Zidane compared Gareth Bale with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Bale's no-show performance this season has withdrawn him from the conversation but Neymar has since taken his place. The Brazilian phenom dominated the Confederations Cup and has had a solid start at Barcelona. Some are already claiming that he will top his teammate and Ronaldo in the near future.
He has the potential for it, for sure," Former Portuguese star Deco said according to The World Game. "But it is a long way off. Talk about Messi, [Andres] Iniesta and Cristiano is easy because they have already grown and have arrived.
"Football is not only about quality, you have to grow."
Neymar has two goals and five assists through seven Spanish League matches this season and has been a major contributor for the club in the absence of an injured Messi.
Brazilian great Romario has been impressed with Neymar's performance thus far and has even stated that he will be a great star in the future. However, like Deco, he agreed that Neymar still has a lot of growing to do before he can be considered one of the best in the world.
Neymar is playing well and will be a huge star in the future, but it is too early to compare him with me," Romario said according to Goal.com. "However, if he continues to play at this level, then, who knows, you could even say he will be better than me when his career finishes. Today he is not."