Brazil coach defends Neymar ahead of Denmark clash

With the Brazilian men’s soccer team’s Olympic campaign hanging by a thread, national team boss Rogerio Micale has leapt to the defense of his under-fire star player Neymar.

“Neymar will one day become the best player in the world and we need to respect him,” Micale said, speaking at a press conference ahead of the host nation’s do-or-die clash with Denmark on Wednesday.

“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?”

The coach’s comments echo those made by Neymar himself earlier this summer when the Barcelona star vowed to keep partying in the lead-up to the Rio Games, implying anyone in his position would do the same.

Micale also suggested that if fans weren’t careful, they might run the risk of alienating Neymar.

“If we don’t respect our best players they might not want to be with us anymore,” he said.

The 47-year-old coach’s comments were perhaps intended to remind fans of Neymar’s Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi.

The Argentine ace — widely regarded as the best player in the world — announced his retirement from his national team this summer, following Argentina’s third consecutive defeat in a major final in as many summers.

Neymar is the captain and one of the three over-age players in a Brazil U23 side that’s been held to draws in its first two matches against South Africa and Iraq, and also has yet to score a goal in the Rio Olympics. As one of the senior players in the squad, Neymar has been singled out as an object of fans’ ire, with many Brazilians drawing unfavorable comparisons between the 24-year-old and Brazil’s “other” No. 10, Marta, who has starred for Brazil’s women’s team.

When Brazil’s men have played, Neymar and his teammates have regularly been heckled by fans chanting the name of the female star. One young fan went as far as to scratch out the Barcelona star’s name on the back of his jersey and to write “Marta” in its place.

“Marta and Neymar are two great Brazilian players,” Micale said. “Neymar is a young 24-year-old who still hasn’t fully matured.”

“Generally a player will peak at 28, physically and mentally. Neymar has had to deal with the pressure of being a leader since he was 17 years old.”

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. However, the Barça attacker was injured for that match and spared the humiliation of taking direct part in Brazil’s most embarrassing soccer defeat in history.

Brazil heads into its final group match against Denmark sitting second from the bottom of Group A with just two points from two matches. 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 international title that’s eluded it over the years — an Olympic gold medal.