Clodoaldo, 62, who spent 13 years at Santos alongside the great Pelé and was a World Cup winner in 1970, believes the club can once more claim to possess
“I"m an admirer of his," Clodoaldo said in an interview with Goal.com. “I think he is now the best player in world football.
“I say that while acknowledging that, Messi, for example, is fantastic, but when he plays badly, he plays very badly.
“But Neymar, when he plays badly he still manages to be a seven [out of 10]. He can have a reasonable influence on the game even when he is performing at his minimum level, which is a very positive side of Neymar."
Regarding Neymar"s future, Clodoaldo was clear that the 20-year-old prodigy will need to travel to the Old Continent to fulfil his potential.
“I think that the future will bring a need for Neymar moving to Europe," he added.
“I believe he will be here for another good while yet, but I am sure that the need and the curiosity to play against the great teams of Italy, Germany, England and Spain will appeal to him and awaken his curiosity to know how he would fare in these leagues.
“In Santos, he could end up participating in tournaments against Real Madrid, against Chelsea and so on. But if this does not happen in the coming years, I think we"ll see him moving to another continent.
“I"m not saying it will happen now. But maybe after the World Cup [in 2014]. He may feel the need to leave not because he will take the crown of Pele, but because he will want to take the crown of Messi."
