'Messi is my idol, Ronaldo is a footballing monster' - Neymar

PSG's Neymar has revealed his views on Messi and Ronaldo, as talk about who should win the Ballon d'Or intensifies. 

The Brazil forward spent four years playing alongside Messi at the Nou Camp, with the pair forming two-thirds of the 'MSN' partnership along with Luis Suarez which helped Barcelona win two La Liga titles, three Copa del Rey crowns and a Champions League during his time at the club.

Neymar left Messi's shadow in order to sign for PSG for £198m in 2017, and also has experience on facing Juventus' Ronaldo in various El Clasico appearances. The winner of the Ballon d'Or will be announced on December 3, 2018. 

"Facing Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo - and I played with Messi, who is, for me, one of the greatest footballers of all time, and he is my idol in football," Neymar told 'Sky Sports'.

"With Messi, I learned every day, whether during our practice, or playing with him, or just watching him play. And that made me stronger and it increased my capacity on the field because I kept learning a lot from him.

"As for Cristiano Ronaldo, he is a monster. Facing him is a pleasure and an honour, but we have to be more prepared. He is one of the greatest in football so you get smarter, you get alert, but at the same time you learn a lot, too.

"So, they are two of the big guys that I can relate to, because I want to learn, I want more, I want to win, I want more trophies, score more goals … so I keep learning from them every day."

Many are speculating that Messi and Ronaldo's duopoly over the Ballon d'Or will end this year. Luka Modric is up there with the favourites, having enjoyed a brilliant season and winning FIFA The Best Men's Player award.