The Brazil coach believes the level reached by star turns at Barcelona and Real Madrid can be attained by Paris Saint-Germain’s big-money signing

Neymar can become as good as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and battle with the pair for the Ballon d’Or, believes Brazil coach Tite.

The former Barcelona forward has been named in Brazil’s squad to face Ecuador and Colombia, even though they have already sealed World Cup qualification, with Neymar’s new Paris Saint-Germain team-mates Dani Alves, Thiago Silva and Marquinhos also included.

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A desire to step out of Messi’s shadow has been widely cited as one of Neymar’s primary reasons to make his world-record move from Camp Nou to PSG for €222 million.

And Tite has backed Brazil’s star player to develop into a regular contender for the Ballon d’Or, an honour the 25-year-old is yet to win having been third behind Ronaldo and winner Messi in 2015.

“There are three players fighting for that position: Cristiano, Messi and Neymar,” said Tite.

Why Neymar could end up at Real Madrid

“Cristiano and Messi are from a different generation – and Neymar will get there. That will depend on his performances, not on whether he plays with Messi.

“The essence is that he likes to play football. The important thing is that he is well and adapted in his new club. Values ​​and money do not change anything. He went to another club, as he said, to seek new perspectives.”

PSG’s typical formation is similar to what Neymar is used to at Barcelona and this will help the 25-year-old to settle in at his new club, added the national team coach.

When will Neymar make his PSG debut?

“The tactical formation used by Paris is very similar to that of Barcelona, ​​it’s 4-3-3,” Tite said. “PSG use two forwards with a pivot, so it has the same design.

“It only changes the characteristics of the players who will play next to Neymar.”