On Thursday it was confirmed that Neymar will be the captain of Brazil for their match against Colombia in Miami on Friday.
Neymar, 22, will become one of the youngest skippers in Brazil’s storied history, as the winger will lead the Selecao into a brave new era.
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Speaking in Miami ahead of the game, new Brazilian boss Dunga (in his second spell in charge of Brazil) and a former World Cup winning captain himself, confirmed Neymar would take over the role from Thiago Silva.
Silva had captained Brazil at the World Cup and throughout Luis Felipe Scolari’s time in charge, but Dunga believes Neymar deserves the chance to lead his nation.“It has already been decided,[Neymar is captain],” Dunga said. “Neymar has responded very well to it. He is a player who likes challenges and like to win. We talked to him when we first broached the subject and we told him what we wanted. He’s a player with a lot of quality, despite his age is experienced. The captain has to set the standard for the others.
“We told him about the advantages and the disadvantages, about the history and responsibility the shirt brings. Every time Brazil won a World Cup it did so with leaders who had great personality. We need more players with this characteristic in the group, whether they wear the armband or not.”
So, the Barcelona attacker will get the chance to shine for the Selecao and lead by example with his dazzling skills and goals. He is the complete opposite to Silva, a commanding no-nonsense central defender, but Neymar will follow in the footsteps of mercurial talents such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo by captaining his nation. At the World Cup Neymar scored four goals in five games before his tournament ended due to injury. Brazil didn’t know how to cope without him as they imploded in the semifinals vs. Germany.
Neymar is, by far, Brazil’s best player. Now, for the time being, he’s their leader.
