SAO PAULO: As the player carrying Brazil's hopes for a World Cup title at home, Neymar is expected to attract most of the attention at the Confederations Cup.
After his high profile transfer to Barcelona, the scrutiny is only likely to increase.
The 21-year-old striker made headlines across the globe by picking Barcelona over Real Madrid a few weeks ago, and the Confederations Cup will be his first tournament as the latest attraction of the Catalan club.
He will join Lionel Messi and his new teammates after the World Cup warm-up tournament, but first will try to prove that he can also play up to his potential with the national team.
"It's a dream come true to play with players like Messi, Xavi (Hernandez), (Andres) Iniesta, Adriano, Daniel Alves," Neymar said. "I'm anxious for that day to arrive, but right now I need to focus on the Confederations Cup. I want to win this title for Brazil."
Despite all the hype surrounding Neymar's transfer, he hasn't been receiving a lot of praise locally recently, especially because of his disappointing performances with Brazil.
He was loudly jeered by home fans after playing poorly in a 2-2 draw in a friendly with Chile.
"Nobody likes to be booed, but I don't really care," Neymar said recently. "I know what I can do."
His prowess has been on display more often than not with Santos, the club he thrived with since he started playing professionally in 2009. But with Brazil he has experienced more disappointment than success. The Confederations Cup will be the third significant competition for Neymar with the national team, and so far he has failed to provide the spark everyone expected from him. It's a dream to be playing for Brazil, and I know it's a big responsibility," Neymar said.
In addition to Neymar, Brazil will have a few other youngsters trying to give the nation its third straight Confederations Cup title, and fourth overall. Among them are Chelsea midfielder Oscar and Paris Saint-Germain forward Lucas. Neymar's new Barcelona teammates Daniel Alves and Adriano also will be in the team.
"If we are united, we will have a good chance of winning this title," Neymar said. "We know that the players are good. We are still one of the dominant powers in international football." |
