Brazil lost 2-1 to Mexico in the final of the men’s football in the Olympics. It was a rather shocking defeat, considering the fact that they were clear favourites to win gold at the Olympics. But they were given a good lesson from an average Mexico team, who performed exceptionally well to see off a strong looking Brazilian side.
Brazil showed the lack of experience. It could be seen within each and every player of the Brazilian squad, that they lacked experience on the big stage. Except for Hulk, who was the only hope for a dreadful Brazilian side, every player under-performed. Rafael showed, from the very first minute, that he should have never been a first team option. Hulk, one of the three overage players in the Brazil squad, showed his true class and was the only one who could manage to perform against Mexico. Even Thiago Silva, who was bagged by PSG for a heck load of money, poorly performed in this match.
Trending
Around all these players, one person that stands out is Neymar. Not for his good performance, but for his failure to perform (again) on the big stage. Neymar, who is valued at over 70 million euros by Santos, gave us a good reason why he chose to stay in the Brazilian league. It’s because the Brazilian league itself is overrated. He obviously had no competition from defence in the Brazilian league. If you are worth over 70 million, you have to perform in every match. His attitude equals that of Cristiano Ronaldo. But unlike Ronaldo, he isn’t worth the player to have such an attitude.
Neymar, who is courted by several European clubs, is expected to stay in Brazil until the FIFA World Cup in 2014. But if he expects himself to be ready for the challenge posed by Spain and Germany, he will have to move to Europe much sooner than 2014. Neymar is only 20, and he will only get better with more gametime. But, at such a young age, he is already tagged as a ‘diver’ in world football. This problem persists with much of today’s young footballers. It’s totally disgraceful to football and will spoil the game.
The future of Brazil is bright, but its present needs a good, personal mentor. One that leads them into the right path.
