Neymar's next step: Why only Lionel Messi is above the Brazilian now

Do not be fooled by Neymar's goal tally. He's now second only to Lionel Messi...

Neymar made his return from suspension in Barcelona's 3-0 win at Espanyol on Saturday - and he could play an absolutely vital role in the final stages of the season, as Barca look to capitalise on that big Clasico win and challenge Real Madrid for the La Liga title.

On the face of it, Neymar's statistics are not as impressive as his fellow Barcelona forwards this season.

While Lionel Messi has scored 33 La Liga goals and Luis Suarez is second in the La Liga goal charts with 26, Neymar has yet to reach double figures with just three league games remaining.

Having passed the 20-goal mark in La Liga in each of the past two seasons, this might look like a backward step in his development.

But the goals are only part of the story.

This year, Neymar has taken on a more selfless role for the side and has actually grown as a player.

In fact, in my opinion, Neymar is now second only to Messi as the best player in the world. And if we take a deeper look at the numbers it is easy to see why.

Neymar has created more chances than any other player in La Liga this season. Playing out wider on the left, he is the one charged with setting up the chances at Barcelona for others.

And those numbers only include the passes that have led to a shot by a team-mate.

What about the penetrative run for Ivan Rakitic's goal at Granada? Or the burst of pace that saw him break through the defence for Messi's first against Sevilla?

It is this dribbling that makes Neymar ideally suited to his role. Messi was once the best dribbler in the business but now it is clearly the Brazilian.

In fact, it's not even close. Neymar has completed 154 dribbles in La Liga this season. Messi is second best with 116, and nobody in Europe's top leagues can match Neymar's total.

He deserves credit for putting his ego to one side and providing the service for Messi and Suarez. He has matured and he understands what his job is in this Barcelona team.

There is a lot of talk about the so-called M-S-N as well as Real Madrid's B-B-C. There are a lot of egos involved! But Neymar has set up four goals for Suarez and three for Messi - more than Ronaldo, Bale and Benzema have provided for each other between them this season.

Suarez has provided one more assist than Neymar for his fellow M-S-N members, but then he has played in five more matches.

Neymar is working hard too, having taken on the responsibility of tracking back down that left flank and doing the dirty work that Messi does not want to do.

For example, Neymar has made 36 tackles this season - almost as many as Messi and Suarez between them. Ronaldo, in contrast, has made just six tackles this year.

Of course, it's not Neymar's natural game but he is doing it and that is something that is appreciated by his Barcelona team-mates.

And Neymar understands that (for now at least) Messi is still the main man. But he has also proven that he can step up when Barca need him to play a different role in key moments.

The dramatic win over PSG was the day many people realised Neymar can be as good as Messi. He scored two, won a penalty and picked the pass for Sergi Roberto's famous goal.

And when Messi is not around, Neymar takes greater responsibility. In fact, four of his nine La Liga goals have come with Messi not on the pitch.

His brilliant free-kick against Sporting Gijon in March is a good example. Messi had been substituted minutes earlier, Neymar assumed free-kick duties and promptly curled it home.

Neymar scored an impressive free-kick against Sporting Gijon in March Neymar scored an impressive free-kick against Sporting Gijon in March

He is ready and waiting to become this team's star.

For now though, he is more than happy to wait in the knowledge that he is growing under the wing of Messi. He had big offers from England but chose to sign a new contract at Barca and has no intention of moving in the near future.

So do not be confused by that goal tally. Neymar is getting better and better. And Barcelona will hope his return from suspension will give them an added boost in their pursuit of the title.