London: It is with a raincloud hovering above the head of their talisman Neymar that Brazil are gearing up for their final assignment of 2017 against England at Wembley, Tuesday.
He cut a fragile figure in the press conference that followed Brazil’s 3-1 win over Japan in a friendly in Lille Friday, wiping away tears as national coach Tite spoke out in his defence and then hurriedly leaving the room. “I am a young man of 25 with a lot to learn in football,” Neymar said before his abrupt departure.
Neymar has generally dazzled in Ligue 1 since completing his 222 million euros transfer from Barcelona, but his recent performances have betrayed signs of unease.
More worrying yet for PSG’s fans have been the reports emanating from Brazil that Neymar has already expressed regret about leaving Barcelona.
He has returned to Barcelona at least twice since the start of the season, twice being pictured on social media with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, and is even reported to have asked them how they would feel if he came back for good.
But for PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe, Neymar’s emotional press conference was merely a reminder that the superstar is only flesh and blood.
“It just proves that he’s a man like anyone else. He has two arms, two legs and one heart. He can be affected by the all the criticism he gets. From the outside, he gives the impression that he’s not affected, even if there (in Lille), he let go. When you’re on the inside, he opens up to you and shows that he’s someone normal,” Mbappe told French television channel TF1 Sunday.
agence france-presse
