Agencies
Rio de Janeiro, August 21: Barcelona star Neymar said after the gold medal win Saturday that he is stepping down as captain of the Brazil squad.
“Today (Saturday) I have been proclaimed a champion and I hand over the armband as captain,” Neymar told ‘SporTV’ after scoring the winning penalty in a 5-4 shootout win over Germany. “It was something I received with honour and love. It was an honour to be captain, but from today I am no longer captain.”
New coach of the Brazil senior side Tite will take charge of his first game in charge against Ecuador in World Cup 2018 qualifying September 1 after Dunga was sacked following Brazil’s group stage exit from the Copa America. “I send the message to Tite that from now he can look for another captain,” added Neymar.
Neymar captained the mainly under-23 side during the Games and Brazil’s Olympic coach Rogerio Micale described his decision to step down as ‘noble’. “It was a noble gesture on Neymar’s part to leave it up to Tite,” informed Micale. “It demonstrates maturity on Neymar’s part, he is a leader in the national team, he is dedicated. I finish this tournament with the best possible impressions of Neymar as do the team.”
The man who was criticised harshly after Brazil drew their opening two games at the Olympics also hit back at those who had questioned his abilities. “This (gold medal) is one of the best things that happened in my life,” Neymar stated. “Now they’ll (the critics) have to swallow what they said.”
