Neymar eyes gold with the nation pinning its hope on him
The Olympic host nation is once again heartily embracing its most talented son. Most Brazilian players had already returned in the locker room when Neymar rushed across the ground at Maracana Stadium. He wanted to celebrate with the fans. Shirtless, Neymar raised his arms in a winning gesture toward the stands. He pumped his fists as the crowd fondly chanted his name.
Neymar eyes gold with the nation pinning its hope on him
The 24-year-old striker is absolutely vital for Brazil at the Rio Olympics. He has regained the trust of the fans after a rather struggling start. Neymar’s brilliant display against Honduras helped Brazil reach Saturday’s significant final against Germany. Besides the early goal, he also converted a penalty kick in injury time.
“This is the Neymar that we like to see on the field,” said 38-year-old Brazilian fan Andre Gustavo Correa, speaking outside the Maracana. “We need him to have a chance to win this gold! Without him playing the way he is playing, I don’t think this team would have been in the final.”
His recent level of play — victories over Denmark in the group stage, Colombia in the quarterfinals, and Honduras in the semis — has been incredible to bring the fans back to his side.
“I would say, in the good sense, that Neymar is a monster,” Brazil coach Rogerio Micale said. “He has a gift for playing football. He delights absolutely everyone with his talent. There are external factors that influence the way players develop and I think it is an opportunity to study what happened to him to see if we can replicate that with other players.”
His coach thinks Neymar is a disrupting force for other teams.
