Neymar spoke of the possibility of being one of the candidates for the Ballon D’Or: “Being amongst the three finalists would be a great accomplishment. Being there with Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo would be a great honor.”

“My objective is not to surpass Messi. I want to make my own way, do the things I’ve been doing so far, win titles and reach my goals. I don’t want to surpass anyone, I don’t want to be better than anyone. I only want to be better than myself,” he added.

He then went on to show his affection for his Argentine teammate who he considers “a friend” and “an idol”.

Being suspended for the first two games of the World Cup 2018 CONMEBOL qualifiers, Neymar would return to the Brazilian national team exactly against Argentina: “Messi is a great star, playing against him is not good, it’s bad. But I will do everything to win. It’s going to be a difficult game, but really all the games will be difficult.”

“I’m not a person who is affected by the pressure. I treat pressure as if it were a friend; I hold it next to me to feel at peace, comfortable. I know that being the captain and the number 10 of the Brazilian national team are great responsibilities, but I like them. I like responsibility and pressure and playing football,” Neymar added.

The forward also talked about the ongoing legal battles surrounding his transfer to Barcelona in 2013: “My father has already explained how the contracts with the club were many times, but it seems that some people do not understand and the subject returns to the scene, just because. This whole issue doesn't affect me on the pitch, in fact, when I go to play nothing affects me at all.” But he also added: “My father should be left in peace.”

Next summer, Brazil teams will take part in the Copa América Centenario -anniversary edition of the competition who turns 100 years old- in the United States of America and the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Neymar says that he wants to take part in both competitions: “I really want to play in the Olympics and at the Copa América. I’m kind of ‘hungry’. I’m saying it now: I want to play both competitions.”

This could be an early notice for Barça seeing as how the club can choose to not let him play in those competitions.