Raheem Sterling has been rated above Neymar with former Chelsea and Marseille forward Tony Cascarino adamant the Manchester City star should be aiming to win the Ballon d’Or.

Sterling was instrumental during England’s 4-0 blanketing of Bulgaria, scoring one and assisting another as he took his sensational club form into the international arena.

Neymar meanwhile returned to action for Brazil following months out with an ankle injury and replicated Sterling’s feat in the 2-2 draw with Colombia.

Cascarino believes it is clear who is the better player, though.

“Try to ignore the antics that have gone on with Neymar off the field, I actually think Sterling’s better on the field,” he said (h/t Goal.com)

“His numbers are better and he’s playing in a better team. I’ve seen Neymar do things that no other footballer can do in the game, like a ‘Harlem Globetrotter’ footballer.

“But if you want a player to be brilliant for the team and score goals at the rate Neymar can, Sterling’s your man.”

Sterling has evolved into one of the finest wingers in world football under boss Pep Guardiola and he formed a key component of City’s historic domestic treble in 2018/19.

With Neymar spending much of his time at Paris Saint-Germain in the physio room, Sterling has been able to get ahead.

“I would definitely argue he’s in the top five players in the world,” added Cascarino.

“What excites me about Sterling is the improvement. The improvement has been dramatic.

“If you were to put him on the market tomorrow, Man City wouldn’t take £150 million for him.

“If he continues to improve, he’ll become the first or second [best player in the world] and probably win the Ballon d’Or along the way.

“If he wins the Champions League with Man City and plays a big part in that, and he scores a lot of goals over the course of the season, he’ll have a great chance of winning it [the Ballon d’Or].”