Brazil gets a new star in Neymar
2 July 2013 5:35 AM IST
For a player touted to be the best player in the world alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the 20-year old has proved his mettle to justify the tag he’s received. This was Neymar’s first big tournament in the world stage and he rose to the pinnacle with substance and style.
The forward who has joined Barcelona will play along with Messi and the duo’s presence upfront serves a signal of threat for all European teams.
Neymar was named as the best player of the Confederations Cup after his fourth goal of the tournament helped Brazil seal a 3-0 win over world champions Spain in the final at the Maracana Stadium on Sunday. Neymar, who has joined Barcelona from Santos for 57 million euros ($74.09 million) won the Golden Ball, awarded to the best player in the competition after a vote among the media.
He has been terrific in the entire Confederations cup and the goals are an addition to his supremacy. Brazil has a young squad and with their boss Luiz Fillipe Scholari they showed what they are capable of. This is just the beginning for the Samba boys who once dominated world football for decades. Neymar said the belief of the Brazil squad had proved pivotal and that they had developed and matured during the tournament.
‘We didn’t hide - we ran and ran. We played very strongly from start to finish. That shows we are a strong team,’ he insisted.
Neymar was voted man of the match for his performance, but said he owed the award to his team-mates, adding: ‘I am really very happy for everything that has happened during this tournament. The award is something very special. But all
11 players should get it. Not just me.’ Andres Iniesta of Spain and Paulinho from Brazil were second and third respectively.
The 21-year-old Neymar, however, urged a word of caution to his compatriots among the celebrations following Brazil’s demolition of the world and European champions.
‘Lets keep calm, let’s keep our feet on the ground,’ he said as Brazil emerged as serious contenders to win the World Cup on home soil in a year’s time. ‘We did very well and we are on the right track.
‘We needed this time to train, we get to know each other and to work together,’ Neymar began the tournament with a brilliant strike against Japan, added goals against Mexico and Italy then ended it with another superb goal against Spain when he lashed the ball past keeper Iker Casillas just before
halftime.
The forward who has joined Barcelona will play along with Messi and the duo’s presence upfront serves a signal of threat for all European teams.
Neymar was named as the best player of the Confederations Cup after his fourth goal of the tournament helped Brazil seal a 3-0 win over world champions Spain in the final at the Maracana Stadium on Sunday. Neymar, who has joined Barcelona from Santos for 57 million euros ($74.09 million) won the Golden Ball, awarded to the best player in the competition after a vote among the media.
He has been terrific in the entire Confederations cup and the goals are an addition to his supremacy. Brazil has a young squad and with their boss Luiz Fillipe Scholari they showed what they are capable of. This is just the beginning for the Samba boys who once dominated world football for decades. Neymar said the belief of the Brazil squad had proved pivotal and that they had developed and matured during the tournament.
‘We didn’t hide - we ran and ran. We played very strongly from start to finish. That shows we are a strong team,’ he insisted.
Neymar was voted man of the match for his performance, but said he owed the award to his team-mates, adding: ‘I am really very happy for everything that has happened during this tournament. The award is something very special. But all
11 players should get it. Not just me.’ Andres Iniesta of Spain and Paulinho from Brazil were second and third respectively.
The 21-year-old Neymar, however, urged a word of caution to his compatriots among the celebrations following Brazil’s demolition of the world and European champions.
‘Lets keep calm, let’s keep our feet on the ground,’ he said as Brazil emerged as serious contenders to win the World Cup on home soil in a year’s time. ‘We did very well and we are on the right track.
‘We needed this time to train, we get to know each other and to work together,’ Neymar began the tournament with a brilliant strike against Japan, added goals against Mexico and Italy then ended it with another superb goal against Spain when he lashed the ball past keeper Iker Casillas just before
halftime.
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