The 21-year-old was always expected to come to Barca when he eventually left his homeland, but rather than wait till his contract expired with the Brazilian club next year, the Spanish champions have sped up the operation as they try to rejuvenate a tired squad that suffered the club's worst ever defeat in European competition when they were hammered 7-0 by eventual Champions League winners Bayern Munich in this year's semi-finals.

Even at his tender age, Neymar has already shown glimpses of his brilliance on the big stage with 20 goals in 32 international appearances, whilst his incredible return of 156 goals in 256 games for Santos at such a young age has seem him inevitably compared to Pele.