Rio Ferdinand insists 'Neymar could do things Cristiano Ronaldo & Lionel Messi couldn't' as he disagrees with Wayne Rooney's 'not top player' assessment

A clash of United legends

The football world has been divided following

Up there with the greats

During the latest episode of his podcast, "

"But I have to say that Neymar could do things that no other player in the world could do. And I'm talking about Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of, he could do things that those two couldn't do, right?

"There's a time when you're looking at him and thinking, 'Right, this is the heir to the throne.' Like, he was that close at a certain point in his career when he was at Barca."

Absence from Brazil squad

This war of words comes at a sensitive time for Santos, who was

The race for 2026 World Cup

The immediate priority for Neymar is to prove his consistency and physical readiness at Santos to ensure he remains in contention for a spot in the 2026 World Cup squad.