Neymar will kick-off the new Brazilian era under boss Dunga wearing the captain’s armband.
With regular skipper Thiago Silva missing the friendlies against Colombia and Ecuador through injury, the 22-year-old Barcelona forward has been handed the responsibility of leading his country in their first test since the World Cup.
Dunga, who lifted Brazil’s fourth World Cup title in 1994 as captain, opted to leave Neymar out of his Brazil squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. At the time, he believed the Santos striker to be too young to deal with the immense pressure of the FIFA tournament. On that occasion, Brazil were eliminated at the quarter-final stage by Holland.
Four years on and Neymar has proved his maturity. The best player for the Seleção by far at the recent World Cup, now his duties stretch far beyond creating and scoring goals. He will be their on-field leader.
David Luiz was another who could have captained Brazil in Silva’s absence. But the last time he wore the armband, Brazil were thrashed 7-1 by Germany in the World Cup semi-final, their worst ever result in the illustrious history.
In Neymar’s absence, his true worth to this current Brazil team was highlighted in the most horrific fashion. Now, Dunga has handed the youngster the ultimate honour.
