Neymar in awe of Barca and Messi

Posted Tuesday, November 22, 2011 by ESPN

Santos wonderkid Neymar has revealed his admiration for La Liga bigwigs Barcelona and their star player Lionel Messi.

The Brazilian international has been popularly compared to Robinho and Pelé since his debut in March 2009, and is highly sought after by big teams such as Manchester United, Real Madrid and Chelsea.

Santos will face off against Barcelona at the Fifa Club World Cup final in December, after recently winning the Copa Libertadores with a 2-1 defeat of Peñarol.

Neymar has hailed the quality present in the Camp Nou's side.

"Who does not admire Barcelona?" he asked in an interview with Fifa.com. "They sowed the seeds a long time back and now they are reaping the reward. They deserve all the praise they get for the joy they have given to the fans and to all the people who like to see good football, which includes me."

The Brazilian international has also played down the frequent comparisons with him and fellow FIFA Ballon d'Or award candidate, Messi, stressing a huge difference in skill between him and the Argentinean striker.

"I have always said that I still have a lot to learn," the 19-year-old noted. "Messi is a guy who has already made history and will achieve a lot more yet. I am just starting out and I have a lot to do to get to his level."