Two football behemoths were born on this day, seven years apart. Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal and Neymar Jr. of Brazil have set both the World and European stage alight with their dazzling skills and goals.
Results from last 12 months have shown evidence that Neymar is set to eclipse Ronaldo to become Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi's next biggest rival.
And if reports are to be believed Neymar could make a sensational switch to Real Madrid in the summer to replace Ronaldo, who is yet to sign a contract extension with the Los Blancos.
Number of goals scored from Feb 2nd 2017 onwards.
Neymar's star on the rise
Neymar had his biggest moment at his former club Barcelona in March when he helped script one of the greatest comeback wins in UEFA Champions League history. Trailing 4-0 to Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain, the Brazilian scored two, including a free-kick, and set up the 96th minute goal which took the Catalan club into the last eight stage of the tournament.
The 26-year-old led his national side Brazil to become the first team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup in Russia. The five-time World Champion topped the group comfortably while losing just once during the qualification.
The season though ended on a sour note for Neymar as Barcelona was knocked out of the European competition by Juventus in the very next round and finished three points behind arch-rival Real Madrid in La Liga.
Eager to step out of Messi's shadow, Neymar completed a staggering £255 million switch to PSG.
Goal dry Ronaldo
Ronaldo helped Real Madrid win the La Liga and Champions League double during the 2016-17 season. The forward scored twice in the Champions League final against Juventus as Madrid became the first team since 1992 to retain the trophy.
His exploits in the 2017 calendar year won him his fifth Ballon d'Or award to equal Messi's haul.
He also helped Portugal qualify for the World Cup finals via the play-offs against Switzerland.
Ronaldo has a record of scoring 40 plus goals in his last seven seasons at Madrid. Even though, he recently broke the record for most number of goals in the group stages for a season in the Champions League, his numbers in the league have dried up. He has eight goals in 17 appearances in the league.
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