Captain Neymar will lead Brazil in Japan friendly
Neymar will wear the captain’s armband and lead. Brazil’s Olympic warm-up starts against Japan on Saturday, manager Rogerio Micale has remarked.
Captain Neymar will lead Brazil in Japan friendly
Former manager Dunga named the Barcelona star captain in September 2014. It was following Brazil’s humiliating World Cup campaign on home soil. He said at the time: “We have to have a strong group so that Neymar can grow more each day, as a player, as a person, being an example to children.”
However, Neymar’s leadership has come under serious scrutiny since that appointment. The former Santos man was the victim of a ban from Brazil’s 2015 Copa America quarterfinal loss to Paraguay. It was due to his actions in the final moments of a group stage defeat to Colombia.
And this summer Barca barred him from participating in Brazil’s disappointing Copa America Centenario campaign. His chastising letter directed at Brazil’s detractors angered many in his home country. It caused some of the national team’s greatest players to ask for his captaincy to be taken away.
Dunga’s successor with national team, Tite, has made no promises to maintain Neymar as captain. However, Micale, who is in charge of Brazil’s Olympic team for next month’s tournament, has selected Neymar. He is one of three over-23 players, to captain the side against Japan.
“The captain will be Neymar,” Micale told a news conference. “But I have another captain here at my side [Paris Saint-Germain defender Marquinhos], who could have the armband for everything he represents.”
Moreover, Micale rather hailed Neymar’s abilities both on and off the pitch, naming him “a great athlete and a great man,” before highlighting the 24-year-old’s astounding ability on the pitch.
“Neymar has proven what we’ve seen and even surpassed my expectations in relation to the quality that he possesses,” Micale said furthermore.
Brazil will open their Olympic campaign on Aug. 4 with a match against South Africa in Brasilia.
