Barcelona star Neymar has stated his desire to win the Olympics with Brazil this summer. The forward will represent his country at one of the biggest sporting events in the world as Brazil are set to play their first major tournament since the Copa America last year.
Speaking to Globo Esporte he said, “I am ready to take responsibility. Not only the Brazilians want this medal, but they know nobody wants it more than I do. I was not frustrated, because I will play a tournament my country has yet to win, and in Brazil.”
Neymar and the rest of the Brazil national team still remember the humiliation they suffered two years ago in their home country. Brazil hosted the FIFA World Cup and they were one of the favourites to lift the cup with the home crowd cheering them on.
After topping their group, Brazil defeated their South American neighbours Chile in the round of 16 and Columbia in the quarter-finals. They faced their toughest test in the semifinals of the World Cup as they were pitted against Germany, but no-one would have anticipated what was to follow.
The host nation were annihilated 7-1 by the Germans in Bela-Horizonte as their fans watched in horror. Neymar and his team now have a chance to redeem themselves as they once again prepare to take on the best international teams in the Olympics.
But the forward will not be able to take part in the 100th edition of the Copa America that is set to take place in the US this summer. Barcelona and the Brazilian football federation reached a mutual agreement that will allow the superstar to only play in one of the two tournaments.
The 24-year-old insisted he has made peace with that decision saying, “Of course I wanted to compete in both competitions, but I understand the desire of my club and I respected the agreement that everyone came to.”
The Olympics will kick-off on the 21st of August this year as people from around the world will tune in, to watch one of the greatest sporting events in history.
Neymar was crucial to the Catalans title-winning campaign, as they lifted their second consecutive La Liga trophy under Luis Enrique. The Catalans defeated Granada on the last day of the season by a scoreline of 3-0 thanks to a hat-trick from Luis Suarez.
