Neymar took his tally to 51 international goals in 76 games with a stunning effort in Friday's (AEDT) 4-1 thrashing of Uruguay in World Cup qualifying.

He got on the end of a clearance from Miranda before delicately lobbing goalkeeper Martin Silva.

While Paulinho stole the show with a hat-trick, Miranda was full of praise for Barcelona star Neymar.

"Nowadays, Neymar is the player who lives in the best moment," the Inter defender said.

"The next Ballon d'Or is painted for him."

Neymar was third in the Ballon d'Or in 2015, but the prize has been shared by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo the past nine times.

Brazil's win over Uruguay saw it move seven points clear in qualifying, well on track to reach Russia 2018.