According to Jesus Gutierrez, a coach who worked with him in Madrid at a young age, Neymar could become an icon just like Lionel Messi did at Barcelona.
The Brazilian trained in the Spanish capital at just 14 years old and made a huge impression on everyone back then.
He is also fondly remembered by Gutierrez, who coached the U-14 team.
"On the first day he looked like a little child - slim, shy, quiet... However, as soon as he joined the team on the field, it seemed like he had been part of it his whole life," the specialist told Goal.com.
"He quickly showed what he was capable of. He had incredible skills to play with both feet, pass the ball, dribble, and shoot."
"From the second day, Neymar was watched live by academy directors. They told me to have a 10-15 minute warm-up and play friendly matches. That's exactly what we did that week. It was incredible. Just after 14 days of training he already knew exactly what to do on the field."
"It's unusual at that age. It was a cold week in February, but coaches and directors always watched him. That week, more people watched us in training than in the entire rest of the season."
Gutierrez admitted that Real did everything to bring Neymar to Madrid. He eventually decided to stay at Santos, but his career could have turned out very differently.
"I feel like Neymar could have been Real Madrid's Messi - a young foreign player, very talented, grown in the club and spending 10 years as a leader."
The world's most expensive player now represents Paris Saint-Germain and wearing his jersey, he will be on the other side of the barricades tonight.
