He was not without his critics in his first season. However, with the passing of time, Neymar is becoming a fantastic player, decisive on the field and possessing the personality to carry the team at just 23 years of age.

Neymar's jump in quality over the last month and a half, with Messi out injured, has been huge. His stats in goals and assists are telling, to which he has added a flair that is only possessed by the very best. People are comparing Neymar with Ronaldinho or Messi himself after the spectacular goal he scored on Sunday.

Neymar has officially presented his candidature to the world for the Ballon d'Or. It is pretty clear; he has thrown down the gauntlet to football's very best: Messi and Cristiano. Perhaps it is too soon to challenge Messi's reign, who before getting injured had also been spectacularly good, but many believe that he has overtaken Cristiano this year.

If he continues along the same lines he is destined for the very top. If we take a look at the statistics for the 'Azulgranas' player in comparisson to those of Messi and Cristiano at 23, they are on a par. He loses to Messi in the comparison, who at the same age already had a couple of Ballon d'Or awards in his personal trophy cabinet. However his figures are not disimilar to those of the Portuguese.