Neymar: Messi is number one

10 June 2012 20:58

Brazil star Neymar says Argentina ace Lionel Messi is the best player in the world following Saturday's friendly between the two teams.

The Barcelona forward inspired his team to a 4-3 victory against their arch-rivals, scoring two goals in the first half before deciding an end-to-end contest with a brilliant late strike to complete his hat-trick.

Neymar, who picked up two assists in the match, has often earned comparisons with Messi, but he admitted the Argentine is at a higher level.

"It is very simple: Messi is the best in the world, and if you give him a little bit of space, he can do whatever he wants," Neymar told reporters.

"But this match was not a walk in the park, like many had predicted.

"We could have won the match, we had chances to score. We played well and we showed that we are on the right track."