Mohammed Kudus said he’s as good as Neymar. That’s not looking totally nuts.

The 22-year-old is looking like one of the World Cup’s breakout stars

Mohammed Kudus came to this World Cup full of confidence. Two games in, it’s easy to see why.

Kudus has been one of the breakout stars in the early going, tallying an assist for Ghana in an opening loss to Portugal before scoring a pair of goals in a wild 3-2 win over South Korea on Monday.

The 22-year-old playmaker netted a first-half header to give his side a 2-0 lead. But South Korea struck back in the second half, with Cho Gue-sung scoring two quick goals to equalize.

Kudus was not done, however, and he swept home a 68th-minute goal to complete his brace and give Ghana the winner it so desperately needed after falling in its opener.

Prior to the World Cup, Kudus told The Guardian of Neymar, a player he and his teammates could see in the knockout round: “He’s not better than me. He’s just a higher profile player, that’s all,”

Kudus has made a name for himself at Ajax after his 2020 arrival from Danish side Nordsjælland. The 22-year-old operates as a No. 10 who is equally comfortable scoring goals or creating them. His exploits in the Netherlands has led to interest from big clubs abroad, which will only be amplified by his first two games in Qatar.

Kudus knows he hasn’t reached the heights that Neymar has during his career. But he’s making steady progress and as his first two World Cup games have shown, it may not be a good idea to bet against him.

“What makes [Neymar] better, for now, is that he has achieved a lot,” Kudus said. I’ll get there soon.”

Watch Kudus score two vs. South Korea

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