Neymar: 10 Players Better Than the Brazilian When Signed as Teenagers

Reports indicate that Brazilian phenomenon Neymar will be on his way to Madrid in the summer to form one of the most explosive (and egotistical) partnerships in the world, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.

There's no doubt this kid is talented, but let's hold back on the anointment of the next world-beater of the world game. Brazil may be the spiritual home of football, but there's no way that Neymar is going to step off his flight, apply a fresh layer of hair gel to his mohawk and take apart the best teams in Europe like he may do in his homeland.

The Brazilian league's Player of the Year last season was Dario Conca; if that doesn't tell you all you need to know about the level of competition, then you must be a Guangzhou Evergrande fan (the team he plays for).

Conca's last international recognition came in 2002—when he was playing for the Argentina Under-20s. The guy doesn't have an international cap, and his name is so insignificant in the context of world football that you won't need to remember, quote or use it ever again. In fact, I apologise for wasting your time and memory by uttering it.

Anyway, the golden boy of Brazil is still a long way off from becoming Cristiano Ronaldo on the pitch or even becoming Mario Balotelli off it. So, here are 10 footballers who in their adolescent years would look down on the Brazilian starlet with the contempt he deserves.

Where better to start than Neymar's future teammate and no doubt enemy—when they inevitably fall out publicly in a way that would even make Carlos Tevez blush.

Sir Alex Ferguson spent £12 million on an 18-year-old Ronaldo when he'd already been a senior member at Sporting Lisbon two years previously.

Ronaldo's now the most expensive footballer in the world, and it comes as no surprise to those who watched him in his youth.

Wayne Rooney's hair may not have blossomed after his teenage years, but his talent certainly did.

This is a 16-year-old Rooney (yes, that's not a misprint) ending Arsenal's original 30-game unbeaten streak whilst still at his boyhood club, Everton. Rooney would go on to end Arsenal's "invincibles" win streak (invincible apart from losing to Chelsea in the most important game of their season) after moving to Manchester United. 

Rooney is one of the most high-profile prospects of all time.

Messi is hands down the best player in the world, and although Brazil tends to take their national glory historically when it comes to results, Messi may well go down as the best individual footballer, period.

The Argentine moved to Barca in his youth to be a part of their academy, and the club paid for his medical treatments for a growth deficit.

I think it's safe to say the investment paid off. 

Nowadays, Michael Owen makes more of an impact on Twitter than he does on the pitch, and his social networking skills aren't even that great.

When Owen scored this goal as a teenager in the World Cup, he became a superstar for Liverpool. He'd go on to be a galactico in Madrid but was never really the same after leaving Anfield. In fact, it was probably the start of the striker's decline.

Remember the days when Diego Maradona wasn't a gross, fat drug addict?

No, me neither.

But I assure you, once upon a time, Maradona was thin and sober enough to squeeze into a full kit, and when he did, he never failed to amaze.

Maradona dazzled for Argentinos Juniors and never looked back. 

Pele played for Santos. Neymar played for Santos.

Pele played for Brazil. Neymar plays for Brazil.

Pele's the greatest footballer of all time...well, the jury's still out on that one.

What can I say about the great man that hasn't already been said? He was incredible.

It's virtually impossible today to leave a "big club" for another "big club" and not end up as some bonfire effigy or the subject of some psychopathically disgusting songs passed off as "a bit of banter" (See: Arsenal fans vs. Emmanuel Adebayor).

That being said, Cesc Fabregas has been able to pull it off with relative ease, and he even did it as part of a nauseating, three-year, "will they, won't they," transfer saga.

Now Fabregas is back at Barcelona, who—along with the Gunners—made a young Fabregas into one of the best midfielders in the world. 

Sergio Aguero made his professional debut when he was 15 years old. That's 15 YEARS OLD!

After making a lot of noise at Atletico Madrid, Aguero is now making some beautiful music for Manchester City and could be adding to his trophy cabinet very soon.

Cruyff burst onto the seen as a teenager at Ajax, and the rest is history.

He went on to revolutionise Barcelona, both on the pitch as well as off it, and is a true legend of the game.

Bobby Charlton, Dennis Law and George Best were enough to leave many drooling at the mouth, but Duncan Edwards might have actually caused people to faint.

One of the greatest players never to see out their careers, Edwards was one of the fatalities of the Munich air disaster.

He died at the age of 21, with over 150 appearances for Manchester United and 18 England caps already to his name.

England beat Germany to win the World Cup in 1966, and they might have won it at a canter if Duncan Edwards had been on the pitch.