Neymar stepped out of Lionel Messi’s shadow when he left Barcelona, and now Paris Saint-Germain want to help him usurp the Argentinian.

PSG smashed the transfer record when they purchased the Brazil star in August, paying €222-million to bring him to the Parc des Princes.

Many suggested that Neymar was unlikely to win the Ballon d’Or while playing in the shadow of Lionel Messi at Barcelona, and that he needed to break free and become a different club’s answer to the Argentinian superstar.

Unsurprisingly, Neymar has enjoyed a swift and seamless transition to life in Ligue 1, scoring six times in as many league games, and he also has a pair of goals from his two Champions League outings.

In September, Neymar said that winning the Ballon d’Or was not an obsession of his, but PSG are seemingly intent on making sure he wins the gong.

‘Neymar is a player with many qualities,’ Emery told reporters at his pre-match media conference ahead of Saturday’s clash with Dijon.

‘He is able to win the Ballon d’Or. We want the best for him – we want to help him win this trophy.

‘Today there are many very strong players in the world, but we are going to work and help him to be an important candidate and to win this trophy.’

-This story originally appeared on FourFourTwo.co.za