Neymar will never match Pele - Scolari

Former Brazil head coach Luis Felipe Scolari believes that striker Neymar will never live up to the impact of Brazilian great Pele.

"In Brazil, we know who is Neymar and who is Pele. We know that there is only one Pele and there will never be another," Scolari said in an interview with Spanish reporters.

"A player can be very good, spectacular even, but they will never be like Pele because he has no heir. Nobody will ever equal him."

Neymar, 26, scored two goals in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but could not stop Brazil from crashing out to Belgium in the quarter-finals yesterday on the back of a 2-1 loss.

Pele was only 17 when he won his first World Cup in Sweden in 1958.

Neymar was ruled out by injury four years ago when Brazil slumped to a 7-1 defeat against Germany with Scolari in charge.

Scolari, meanwhile suggested that Neymar had slowed his development by leaving Barcelona.

"At Barcelona, he evolved a lot and he almost reached the level of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. But it is not something that happens from one day to the next. He is on the right road, but he still needs time. Perhaps in one year or two, he will be at their level."