Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Barcelona superstar Neymar was hailed as “a good guy with a huge heart” after being named captain of the Brazil Olympic team on Thursday.
Coach Rogerio Micale admitted that appointing the international star as skipper was an easy decision to make for a team who have never won football gold at the Olympics.
“Neymar has exceeded my expectations. He is appreciated, he’s a good guy with a huge heart especially around the younger players,” said Micale.
“He has shown that he is more than just a great player — he’s a great man admired by everybody.”
Micale said he had no fears that Brazil could become a one-man team.
“I want to be dependent on Neymar. What coach in the world would not want a Neymar in their team?”
At the Olympics, which get under way on August 5, Brazil are in Group A in the first round where they will face South Africa, Iraq and Denmark.
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