Neymar Must Choose Olympics Over Copa America

Brazil and Barcelona superstar Neymar Jr. must choose to represent his country in the Olympics

The summer of 2016 is going to be a wonderful one for fans of the beautiful game. Along with the expected arrival of Euro 2016, the centennial Copa America is coming to the United States, and football is taking the main stage at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics.

Football is not usually a centerpiece of the competition but it has taken on added importance because the Olympics will take place and have taken place in the football-mad nations of England and Brazil. The South American nation in particular is the beating heart of football that has produced some of the best players in the world with Neymar being one of the latest.

The 2014 World Cup was held in Brazil and the nation put together one of the best competitions in recent memory. Aside from some logistical issues, the passion of the country came through television screens all over the world and it was truly a spectacle to behold. Unfortunately Brazil was not able to win its first World Cup since 2002 and finally avenge the loss to Uruguay at the Maracana Stadium in Rio De Janeiro at the 1950 World Cup.

Neymar’s injury in the quarterfinal win over Colombia became a national tragedy of sorts and it derailed the nation’s campaign and certainly shook his teammates’ focus. While the Olympics do not have the same level of prestige as the World Cup, it gives Neymar the chance to redeem himself in the eyes of his countrymen.

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Brazil has also never won a gold medal in football at the Olympics. They lost to Mexico in the final four years ago and finished third in Beijing in 2008. Neymar was one of the many young stars on the 2012 team that disappointed in London and he will surely want to avenge that loss as well.

In addition to the World Cup and Olympics angle, Neymar did not cover himself in glory during last summer’s Copa America in Chile. The young attacker got in to a confrontation with Colombian players after a 1-0 loss and was shown a red card for attempting to headbutt an opponent. He was banned for four games and missed the rest of the tournament as Brazil crashed out on penalties in the quarter-finals.

If all of that was not enough to convince Neymar that he needs to play in the Olympics and redeem himself, this summer’s Copa America is more like a glorified exhibition. Chile will still be considered the holders no matter who wins the tournament this summer and the addition of several other countries from CONCACAF have watered down the importance of it.

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Neymar has a bulging trophy cabinet at the club level but has yet to win a major trophy for his nation. He helped them to a Confederations Cup title in 2013 but that is also a glorified exhibition that serves as a dress rehearsal for the World Cup.

The last time Neymar played in Brazil he left on a stretcher and saw his team get humiliated by six goals to the eventual champions. If he returns and leads the squad to a gold medal it will not erase the memories of the summers of 2014 and 2015 but it will go a long way towards showing the nation of 200 million that he will do his best and give his all to the Seleção Brasileira.

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