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Pele: Neymar is more Messi than Ronaldo

The Brazil icon believes a countryman shares more creative similarities with a Barcelona star than goal-scoring instincts with a Real Madrid talisman

Neymar is more like Barcelona icon Lionel Messi than Real Madrid talisman Cristiano Ronaldo, claims Brazil legend Pele.

The Brazil international, widely tipped to one day inherit the Ballon d’Or crown dominated by the two Clasico rivals over the last decade, has drawn comparisons to the pair of La Liga superstars.

He spent four seasons working alongside Messi at Camp Nou before heading to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, with his time in Catalunya seeing him face Ronaldo on a regular basis.

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Neymar is seemingly a mix between the two modern day idols, with his game blending creativity and goal-scoring threat.

Pele believes that makes him more Messi than Ronaldo, with his fellow countryman getting more involved in build-up play than being an out-and-out frontman.

The three-time World Cup winner told ESPN: “Neymar has been compared with Cristiano Ronaldo. So I’ve said several times, told friends, in Europe, given interviews… Cristiano Ronaldo is an excellent player, he could be like our Vava, our Coutinho, the finisher.

“Neymar is really more of a Messi-style, one who constructs the play, but scores the goal also.”

Brazil are hoping that their star man will be fit in time for the World Cup as they aim to go far in the competition in Russia.

Neymar is currently recovering from surgery to repair a broken metatarsal and has been out of action since February but he is expected to return to action before the end of the season.