Neymar Making People Forget Lionel Messi, Says Alfonso Ahead of El Clasico 2015

Alfonso Perez says Neymar’s sensational form for Barcelona has made fans forget all about star man Lionel Messi’s absence.  

The Brazilian has been on red-hot form in front of goal together with Luis Suarez, and although Barca could be without Messi for the first El Clasico of the season on Saturday, per Javier Miguel of Sport, Alfonso doesn’t see that as an issue, as he told Ramiro Aldunate of Marca: "His [Messi’s] layoff has shown that Neymar and Luis Suárez can carry the team. Neymar has risen to the challenge and then some. It seemed like Messi's absence might hinder Barca, but the way he's playing, Neymar is making people forget about Messi."

Emilio Morenatti/Associated Press

Neymar has scored 10 goals in his last seven matches for Barcelona, according to Soccerway, while his partner in crime, Suarez, has notched seven in that time.

Four of those Neymar strikes came against Rayo Vallecano in October, when he simply ran riot—as we see below:

In fact, the Brazilian’s recent performances have been so good that comparisons have been drawn with Ronaldinho at the Camp Nou. Journalist Rafael Hernandez believes Neymar can steal the headlines with a match-winning performance at the Bernabeu on Saturday—much like Ronaldinho did in 2009 before being applauded off of the field:

Yet, a certain Real Madrid star will also be hoping to steal the limelight from Neymar: Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo has been a little off-colour lately, however, scoring just three goals in his last seven Real outings, per Soccerway. Even so, Alfonso—who played for both Barcelona and Real Madrid during his illustrious career—believes that such form counts for nothing, per Marca: “The problem is that he [Ronaldo] has spoiled us rotten, so when he doesn't score for a couple of weeks, crisis talk starts. It's not fair. He'll probably bag a couple against Barca and that'll be the end of his bad streak.”

Angel Fernandez/Associated Press

Clasicos often boil down to a moment of individual brilliance, and it goes without saying that Ronaldo has what it takes to provide one.

But with Neymar in the form of his life and somehow filling the cavernous boots of Messi, a different star could well shine at the Bernabeu.