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The 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup has given Brazil fans the opportunity to enjoy what Santos supporters have savoured over the last few years, and Barcelona fans will soon enjoy: the heightened sense of anticipation that comes with watching Neymar getting on the ball.
The star had the Seleção fans on their feet as early as the third minute of Brazil’s opening match against Japan, thumping the ball into the top corner from just outside the box. And he had them drooling again towards the end of the meeting with Mexico, when he somehow worked some space in the tightest of situations to lay on a classy assist for strike partner Jo.
In the build-up to Sunday’s final against Spain at the Maracana, however, it is the Brazil ace’s turn to feel the anticipation, as he prepares for quite possibly the most important game of his young career, one in which he will be under pressure yet again to perform.
“It’s a big final and it’s got all the makings of a historic match. We’re aware of that,” he told FIFA.com. “We hope to be able to write our name in the football history books, especially with the game taking place at the Maracana.”
The 21-year-old is sure to feel the pressure until the moment he steps out at the legendary stadium to face his Spanish idols, the team who have set the standard in modern football. Let no one be under the impression, however, that Neymar is in any way nervous about being in the spotlight.
We hope to be able to write our name in the football history books, especially with the game taking place at the Maracana.
Neymar, Brazil forward
History in the makingPlayers go through a whole gamut of emotions in the build-up to any final, and Brazil’s main man has been through a few of them with Santos and knows what such occasions demand. Yet this is no ordinary final, not when it’s being played at the Maracana, with him wearing Brazil’s feted No10 shirt, and with one of his favourite teams providing the opposition, a team he has selected and won with many times on the video game console.
“The whole world was expecting a Brazil-Spain final, us included,” he said, anticipating Sunday’s blockbuster. “We’re going to play against the best in the world, the best team in the world.”
He added that La Roja deserved to be considered favourites for the final, in recognition of their status as the reigning world and two-time European champions, a statement he qualified by saying: “We need to show respect, but we also need to impose ourselves on the pitch. Spain have brought their star players, and Brazil have brought theirs too.”
Warming to his theme he said: “What we have to do is play football, without relying on anything else. We’re going up against the best team in the world, with the best footballers in the world, but we’ve got more than our fair share of talented players. There’s a huge amount of respect and admiration too, but we play good football and we have faith in one another. I think we can play a great game on Sunday.”
As if there were not enough at stake on Sunday already, the big final will also be Neymar’s farewell match in Brazil, as a reporter reminded him during the press conference. After the Maracana it is destination Camp Nou.
“I hadn’t thought about that,” replied Neymar, somewhat taken aback.
He had said his goodbyes to the Santos fans following a Brazilian league match against Flamengo at the Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha, the venue for the opening match of the Festival of Champions. On that occasion, he burst into tears while singing the national anthem, aware that an important phase in his career was coming to a close.
“I don’t know what it’s going to be like,” he continued. “I don’t know if I’m going to cry. I do know it’s going to be emotional, though.”
It will no doubt be hard for him to control his emotions. Quite apart from it being the last time he will see the Brazilian fans for while, it is, as he puts it, a game that could well turn out to be historic, and one in which he expects to make his contribution. And when he takes to the pitch, it will be the fans who are feeling the tension and not him.
Neymar shows his class
Sunday 16 June 2013
© AFP
In conversation with FIFA.com after his side’s 3-0 defeat of Japan, the Brazil ace picked up the story: “You know straightaway when you’ve hit the ball right or not, and I knew I’d got hold of it well. I just waited to see if the ball went in, and it did.”
Neymar looked on with satisfaction as the ball arrowed into the top left-hand corner of Eiji Kawashima’s goal, leaving the Japanese keeper with no chance.
After teeing up his team-mate, Fred was in the perfect position to see the whole move, the Fluminense striker turning to watch Neymar’s effort fly goalwards and bracing himself in case it flew back towards him from the woodwork.
“When I laid the ball off to him I saw him shaping to shoot,” Fred told FIFA.com. “I could see that he struck it really well and I kept my eye on the ball to see if it would beat the goalkeeper or hit the bar and bounce back towards me. I got a good look at it and I can tell you it was a great goal.”
A lot of technique went into that. It was a very, very special goal
Maya Yoshida, Japan defender, who ended up on the losing side
“Obviously we weren’t expecting a shot like that,” he said afterwards. “But it was a fantastic goal. A lot of technique went into that. It was a very, very special goal.”
For the former Santos prodigy it was an important strike for many reasons. Coming with only three minutes on the clock, it gave his team a welcome confidence boost at the start of a competition they are hosting. With expectations high as they stepped out on to the pitch, the Brazilians had their nerves calmed almost straightaway.
On a personal level it also allowed the goalscorer to allay the fears of fans and media alike, concerned at his run of nine games without finding the back of the net. During that barren sequence Neymar had repeatedly stressed that what really mattered was the team’s results, adding that he felt he was fulfilling his role in the side, a view backed by his coach Luiz Felipe Scolari. As far as the player was concerned, there was nothing to worry about.
He proved that with his goal and superb all-round performance and ball control, which had the fans on their feet. Was it a relief for him then, to be finally back on song? “It was fantastic,” came the reply. “It was a special day. The team performed really well and played a great game, and the fans were behind us all the way. All I can say is that the most important thing is not who scores but who contributes to A Seleção. That said, I am obviously very happy at scoring such a nice goal and helping the team out.”
It was such a nice goal, in fact, that like Fred and Yoshida, every member of the 67,000-crowd at the Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha on Saturday will remember the moment they held their breaths for a split second and watched it happen before their eyes.
Shortlist for adidas Golden Ball announced
Saturday 29 June 2013
© Getty Images
FIFA has today announced the names of the six players on the shortlist for the adidas Golden Ball, awarded as always to the best player of the tournament.
All the nominees come from Brazil, Italy, Spain and Uruguay, the four semi-finalists. The winner of the prestigious honour for the outstanding individual at the FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013 will be determined by media representatives accredited for the event.
The winner will be announced immediately after the final at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro on 30 June. The runner-up wins the adidas Silver Ball, with the adidas Bronze Ball awarded to the player in third.
The candidates were selected by the FIFA Technical Study Group (TSG).
Candidates for the adidas Golden Ball at the FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013 (in alphabetical order):
Andres Iniesta (Spain): Iniesta's reputation as an established global star of the game was sealed by his winning goal for Spain in the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ final against the Netherlands. He has been a hot contender for the FIFA Ballon d'Or for a number of years in succession, and despite a blizzard of winner’s medals with La Roja and Barcelona, his energy and commitment in Brazil prove he is far from sated yet. The 29-year-old was named Man of the Match in his country's 2-1 victory over Uruguay in their first group fixture.
Neymar (Brazil): The striker, one of the hottest properties in world football, underlined his immense value to A Seleção in the group stage with three goals in three games. He scored early on against Japan (after three minutes) and Mexico (after nine) to hand the hosts a precious lead, and struck shortly after the break against Italy to put his side 2-1 ahead, just four minutes after the Squadra Azzurra had equalised. He has caught the eye with his exceptional pace on the ball, silky dribbling skills, fulminating long-range shots with either foot, deadly composure in the penalty box, and the ability to provide textbook lay-offs to better placed team-mates even in crowded areas of the field. The Brazilian is the only player to be named Man of the Match twice so far.
Paulinho (Brazil): Paulinho is not only exceptionally strong in the air, an attribute based on his powerful leaping ability and outstanding positional play, but is also highly regarded for his sudden thrusts from deep towards the opposing penalty area. As a result, he has scored twice in three matches at the tournament so far, an impressive return for a midfielder. Following a strike in Brazil's opening match against Japan, Paulinho crowned a fine display in the semi-final against Uruguay with the winning goal four minutes from time, sealing his side’s 2-1 victory.
Andrea Pirlo (Italy): Just like Uruguay veteran Diego Forlan, Pirlo seems only to be getting better with age. And in another parallel with the South American master, the 35-year-old Italian also marked his 100th international with a goal: he scored in a 2-1 victory over Mexico, was named Man of the Match, and set his side on the road to the last four. However, it was not only the goal which impressed the fans and experts. Pirlo’s elegance makes sublime passes look like child's play as he prompts, probes and initiates attacking moves from his central midfield position. The Italians came within an ace of eliminating world and European champions Spain in the semi-finals, but with Pirlo carrying an injury, he and his team-mates were unable to exact revenge for defeat in the final at EURO 2012.
Sergio Ramos (Spain): True to form, the defender has been a near-insurmountable obstacle at the heart of the Spain defence. Despite the goals raining in during the group stage, the defender topped the Castrol Index at the conclusion of the preliminary round, ahead of all the star strikers at the tournament. The Real Madrid stalwart is living proof of the quality running through Vicente del Bosque’s team not just in attack but in every area of the park. Ramos has made a vital contribution to the Spaniards restricting their opponents to a solitary goal so far. He tops the rankings for ball-winning and is also the outfield player who has made the most clearances.
Luis Suarez (Uruguay): The 26-year-old rates as one of the top strikers in the global game, and he is a revered star of the Uruguayan team. His free kicks can be deadly, as he has proved again in Brazil: in the opening match, the striker curled a perfectly-struck shot past Iker Casillas and into the right corner of the Spanish net. Suarez’ three goals in Brazil mean he has also become his country’s all-time leading scorer, overtaking no less a living legend than team-mate Forlan.
Previous winners of the adidas Golden Ball at the FIFA Confederations Cup
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