Neymar had just started to catch everyone's attention when Zico, the star of Brazil's 1982 World Cup team, said the youngster could become as good as Pele or Diego Maradona.
"He does things that Maradona was never able to do," Zico told local channel Esporte Interativo a few years ago. "Maradona was as great as he was thanks to what he could do with his left foot, but he was never able to use his right leg effectively. Neymar has this ability to play well using both of his legs."
But even Zico pointed to some of Neymar's weaknesses at the time, including his less-than superb heading skills, an area where Pele thrived. Neymar also was criticized because of his dives and for failing to perform well with the national team early in his career.
He has steadily improved in most areas and is a much more mature player today. Neymar has been diving less often and is behaving better both on and off the field. A season playing alongside the best in the world in Europe helped him progress rapidly.
