Romario: Neymar can be better than Messi

The World Cup winner feels that his 22-year-old compatriot is capable of surpassing the
achievements of the four-time Ballon d'Or recipient

Brazil icon Romario believes Selecao captain Neymar can become an even greater player than Lionel Messi.

Neymar was one of the stars of the 2014 World Cup, playing a key role in the host nation's run to the last four, only to miss their semi-final loss to Germany with a back injury sustained in the previous round against Colombia.

Messi led Argentina to the final, where they were beaten 1-0 by Germany, and was rewarded with the Golden Ball for his efforts.

However, Romario, who lifted the World Cup in 1994, is in no doubt that Neymar is destined to leave a greater mark on the game than his Barcelona team-mate.

"He has everything to be bigger than Messi," the legendary striker said of his compatriot in an interview with Revista Trip.

"Messi is already a part of history but Neymar can make an even bigger impact.

"Messi may not have another World Cup in which to compete and win, but Neymar has three or four more to contest."

Romario also believes the 22-year-old, who has netted 42 times for Brazil, will soon surpass his tally of 55 goals for his country but joked that he himself will always be the best player his country has ever produced.

"In relation to goals with the national team, he will go beyond me," the 48-year-old conceded. "But Romario is unsurpassable! He will only get more goals.

"He may reach 1,000 goals but nobody will ever be like Romario!"

Neymar will be hoping to add to his tally when Dunga's men play Austria in Vienna on Tuesday evening, in what will be the Selecao's final Gillette Brasil Global Tour outing of the year.