Agencies
Rio de Janeiro, August 10: Neymar could quit international football with Brazil if the country’s fans fail to show him respect, coach Rogerio Micale stated here Tuesday.
The Selecao are struggling on home soil at the Rio Olympics, with two draws against South Africa and Iraq leaving the five-time World Champions at risk of a shock early exit.
Barcelona forward Neymar has been criticised heavily by the fans for Brazil’s poor show. But Micale warned that the fans could end up driving their star player away from the national setup.
“Neymar will one day become the best player in the world and we need to respect him,” Micale told the press here. “He is young and I know that sometimes he behaves in a way we might not agree with, but at his age wouldn’t we do the same things he does, having everything he has? If we don’t respect our best players they might not want to be with us anymore.”
Micale stressed Neymar’s relative youthfulness and lack of experience, despite the fact the 24-year-old has scored 46 goals in 70 appearances for his country.
“Neymar is just 24 and hasn’t fully matured,” asserted Micale. “Generally, a player reaches his peak at 28, both physically and mentally, and he has had to deal with the pressure of being a leader since he was 17 years old.”
Brazil complete their group stage action at the Olympics Wednesday when they take on Denmark at the Fonte Nova Arena in Salvador.
Defeat will eliminate the hosts from the tournament while even a draw might not be enough to guarantee progression to the quarterfinals.