Neymar "big fan" of Mario Balotelli

Santos forward Neymar has revealed that he is a "big fan" of AC Milan striker Mario Balotelli.

The duo played against each other during Brazil's 2-2 draw with Italy in a friendly international in Geneva on Thursday.

"He's a player that I'm a big fan of," ESPN quotes Neymar as saying. "A great player and great person.

"I think the Selecao were good. We are getting better with each passing day and you can see our team improving. It's a great team, with players of real quality."

Brazil will host the 2014 World Cup finals.