Neymar Comments on Desire to Play for Brazil at 2016 Olympics

Brazil captain Neymar has revealed he is keen to represent his country at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics this summer.  

The Selecao have a busy schedule at the end of the season, with the Copa America Centenario set to be staged in the United States. The Barcelona star, who played for Brazil in London four years ago at the Summer Olympics, expressed his intent to feature at the tournament on Tuesday, per Goal.com:

"

For me, to play once again at the Olympics would be a dream, a great honour to represent Brazil once again at the Games, especially as these will take place back home.

I'm very keen to be there, not only for the gold medal that Brazil misses, but for doing it in my country.

It's hard to send a message to the Brazilian people and promise something. The only thing that I can assure them of is that I'll do my best to honour our shirt with all my strength, my football, so we can go as far as possible.

"

DANIEL GARCIA/Getty Images

Although these comments do not make it clear whether or not Neymar is seeking to take part in the Olympics as a supplement to the Copa America or instead of it, Rio natives will be delighted to hear that the nation’s talisman is likely to be in action on home soil.

Neymar was one of the stars of the show at the 2012 tournament, when he was still at Santos and still raw in playing style. Here are some of the highlights from his previous Olympics, when Brazil finished as runners-up to Mexico:

The Copa America is a tournament Brazil and Neymar will want to perform well in. Not only is it the 100-year anniversary of the competition, but at last summer’s spectacle, the forward was red-carded in the group stages and suspended for the remainder of the tournament, and Brazil suffered an embarrassing early exit.

According to Goal, Neymar wants to feature in both of these tournaments, which would make his summer schedule especially convoluted. Here is a look at how little time Neymar would have to recuperate on the back of what has been a demanding campaign for Barcelona:

2015-16 Champions League Final	May 28
2016 Copa America	June 5 - June 27
2016 Olympics	Aug. 4 - Aug. 20

As Bleacher Report’s Karl Matchett noted, the young man has barely had a chance to rest during the offseason with so many commitments to fulfil for the national side:

While Neymar may regularly showcase superhuman ability on the field, he’s only a young player and a man who has played an excess of football; there’s no way he wouldn’t feel the effects of a full summer of action once again. Expect the 24-year-old to eventually decide to feature in one tournament or the other.

Brazil coach Dunga revealed he would rather see Neymar play at the Olympics than the Copa America, per Allan Valente of Sky Sports, and it’s clear it’s a competition the man himself wants to feature in, too. If taken, it’s a decision that will delight the locals—who will undoubtedly already be desperate for the Olympic Games to get started—but undeniably hinder Brazil’s chance of a historic Copa America win in the States.