Pele: Neymar good but not great

Brazil great Pele has criticized Neymar, claiming the Barcelona forward is not a complete player.

The three-time World Cup winner said his former Santos teammate Vasconcelos was "10 times better" than the current Brazil captain.

"Neymar is a good player, but how many goals has he scored with his head in his life," Pele told Brazil's Placar.

"Is he an excellent player? He is, but Vasconcelos was 10 times better than Neymar, without any doubt.

"Neymar is an attacker, he plays up front. That is it. He does not track back, does not organize and does not come out to play.

"It's difficult to compare him with so many players of the past when he has deficiencies, although within the current Brazil team he is the main figure, the only one."

Pele was also less than flattering in his assessment of Neymar's Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi.

Despite rating the four-time Ballon d'Or winner as "one of the best" contemporary players, he questioned whether the Argentina forward could be rated among the all-time greats.

"Messi, I always said in the last 10 years he is one of the players I considered superior," Pele said.

"But, for example, he doesn't use his head. He predominantly uses his left (foot) and is not ambidextrous. And, today, he is the best.

"Messi has the same style as Maradona, the same kind of game. So he is lucky, because there is no one to compare him with." Endit