Watch Mo go

PHILIPPE COUTINHO says the time has come for a new hero to challenge Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo – and it’s up to Mo Salah and Neymar to do it in Russia.

Ronaldo and Messi have dominated the world player of the year awards for 10 years – with the Real Madrid man winning five times and his Barcelona rival the other five.

But there is a growing feeling in football that the game is ready for a new king to be crowned.

Brazil’s Neymar, the most expensive player in the history of the game after costing Paris Saint Germain £200million, is an obvious contender

But Egypt’s Salah, who banged in 45 goals in all competitions in his debut season for Liverpool, is suddenly on the radar after the most remarkable year of his career.

Former Liverpool star Coutinho is in a unique position to judge between them, too.

He played alongside Salah at Anfield before moving on to Barcelona last January – and regularly partners Neymar for Brazil, one of the favourites to reach the final in Moscow this summer.

“It feels like the right moment for someone to take their chance at this World Cup,” Coutinho said. “Messi and Ronaldo have been up there on their own for so many years. I think it may be time for other players to aspire to be best in the world – and the best at this World Cup too

“For me, Salah and Neymar have serious chances to do that. It depends on how the tournament goes of course but they have the talent to do it.”

Coutinho only played 19 games games alongside Salah at Anfield before he chose to leave the Reds for Barcelona.

But he has seen enough to know his former team-mate, who has vowed that a shoulder injury picked up in the Champions League Final will not keep him away from Russia, is something special.

Amazing

Their highlights together in England included scoring a combined six times across two 7-0 Champions League demolitions of NK Maribor and Spartak Moscow. And they were also both on target in victories over Bournemouth, Leicester and Southampton – and in an 3-3 draw against Arsenal.

“Watching Mo Salah since then has been amazing,” said Coutinho. “He has been a show all season for Liverpool.

“He is going to be a player who will be a big hero at Liverpool for a long time.

“He can do well in the World Cup too – it all depends on how far his team can go. But we also know what Neymar can bring. He is a special player.” The PSG man hasn’t had the perfect preparation for Russia, spending the last three months recovering from a fractured foot.

But he has been training alongside his Brazil teammates this week without problems and Coutinho likes what he sees.

He said: “Brazil is a team and not individuals, you need to remember that because that’s the way we work. But Neymar is a superstar, no doubt about it, and I think this could be his World Cup.

“I can’t predict how many goals he will score but I know what he is capable of. I see him totally integrated into the team and very focused on doing well in Russia.”

Brazil have huge pressure on them after the way the 2014 World Cup on home soil ended – with an embarrassing 7-1 defeat against Germany in the semi-finals.

But the draw has been with games against Switzerland, Serbia and Costa Rica in Group E – followed by a last-16 game against either Mexico or Sweden.

Thats a bit easier than the task facing Egypt, who have to cope with hosts Russia and Uruguay in Group A – and the prospect of Spain or Portugal in the last 16.

“We have to put what happened last time behind us because it hurt a lot,” Coutinho said when assessing Brazil’s chances.

“We want to score goals and to dominate teams, that’s the Brazil way – and Neymar is very important to that.”