Happy Birthday, Cristiano Ronaldo. Now, move over so Neymar can blow out your birthday candles too.

He’s already starting to take your place in the world of football.

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Both footballers share a birthday on Friday, but Ronaldo is seven years Neymar’s senior. That’s about the only thing that separates the two. As much as Ronaldo has served as the only rival for Lionel Messi in the vote for FIFA’s Ballon d’Or, Neymar is finally prepared to make a challenge of his own.

Admittedly, Ronaldo is leading La Liga with 19 goals scored this campaign, but Neymar is not far behind with 16. He’s even averaging 2.4 less shots, proving his finishing touch to be more effective, per WhoScored. Adding to that, none of Ronaldo’s 19 goals have come against the top six clubs in La Liga.

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Eight alone came against Espanyol, who sit 15th in the table.

As for Neymar, well, even Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid have felt his wrath.

He’s even starting to troll his opposition on the pitch.

No, seriously. He’s trolling.

Neymar finished third in the 2016 Ballon d’Or voting, behind Ronaldo and Messi.

Just don’t expect that to be the case in 2017. Given his form, only his teammate can stand in his way.

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