Carlos Alberto Parreira: 'Neymar up there with the best'

Brazil technical director Carlos Alberto Parreira has claimed that Neymar is as good as Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo.

The youngster has come under criticism for his performances in recent weeks, but Parreira has insisted that the forward is "a golden boy".

"We always had the confidence that Neymar was a golden boy," he told Zero Hora.

"We gave him a lot of support. He arrived at the Confederations Cup and blossomed. He is so talented, that player who makes the difference.

"He is our big name, not only ours, but throughout world football, right next to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi."

Neymar has scored 12 times for Barcelona this season.