According to the Brazilian football teams’ Olympic coach Rogerio Micale, Neymar could quit worldwide football if fans continue to disrespect him.
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Micale’s men need to beat Group A leaders Denmark in Salvador today to guarantee their place in the quarter-finals, after being booed off in consecutive stalemates against South Africa and Iraq.
With Brazil facing another embarrassing elimination at home, Neymar has come under fire for his poor performances and lack of leadership, but Micale said he deserved respect. While a draw could still see the five-time World Cup champions though to the next round, depending on how results go elsewhere, only a win will guarantee Brazil’s passage to the quarterfinals and see the home nation remain in contention for the one major global title that’s eluded it over the years – an Olympic gold medal.
“Neymar will one day become the best player in the world and we need to respect him”. I know that there have been times when he behaved in a way that we may not like but, at his age, wouldn’t we do the same things that he does, if we had everything he has?
Micale called on fans to support the team in their must-win game against Denmark on Wednesday and warned that superstars like Neymar, who pressured his club Barcelona to be released for the Olympic competition, are under no obligation to play for their country.
“If we don’t respect our best players they might not want to be with us anymore”, he said.
Neymar was part of the Brazilian team that ultimately suffered a humiliating 7-1 defeat to Germany on home soil at the World Cup two years ago.
Fans have booed Brazil’s Olympic team after successive 0-0 draws against South Africa and Iraq, with the 65,000 crowd at the National stadium mercilessly abusing their own players and chanting “Iraq!”
Twitter was awash with the hashtage “Neymar out, Marta in”, and a picture of a boy wearing a Brazil shirt with Neymar’s name scrubbed out and Marta written in pen underneath went viral.
“Marta and Neymar are two great Brazilian footballers”. “Neymar wanted to be with the national side and he had to take this on and at the age of 24 people are making so many demands of him”.
“A player generally peaks at 28, both physically and mentally”.
Midfielder Renato Augusto said Brazil’s struggles at the Olympic tournament have upset Neymar.
“He remains confident, but he is not happy with what has been happening, ” Augusto said. “Everyone is supporting him”.
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“We only need a simple victory to reach the next round and remain alive in the fight for a medal, ” he added. “We only depend on ourselves”.
