Former Brazilian star, Falcao, claims that Neymar is on the verge of joining Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo at the pinnacle of European football.
Falcao, who coached Brazil in the 1990 World Cup, and played in the 1982 event, believes that, after a year in Spain, Neymar now possesses the necessary experience to take his place amongst the best players in the world.
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"I think that perhaps this could be Neymar's greatest year in Europe so far, because he already has a year of experience," Falcao told Lance!.
"Of course, he has competitors. There is Cristiano Ronaldo, who is scoring goals all the time (and) Messi is a genius. The competition will be strong, but I think he is able to compete (with) them."
Falcao also thinks that the Brazilian captain should have departed Brazil to play in Europe before last summer, but claims to understand that the decision to spend five seasons with Santos.
"I thought (he should have left) earlier, and I said so at the time," Falcao added.
"I thought he had to leave so he could experience a different type of defensive marking by playing in international competitions.
"This is my personal assessment, but I also said that I saw Neymar so happy here. In interviews he was so filled with joy… So I guess he had to be happy, and I think staying made him happy."
Neymar is currently the fourth highest goal scorer in Brazil's history with 40 goals in 58 appearances for his country.
Read: Is Luis Suarez disrupting Neymar and Messi's partnership at Barcelona?
Do you think Neymar can compete with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi over the course of this season? Have your say in the comments section below.
