Football
Dermot Corrigan, Madrid correspondent 8y

Neymar: It was my decision to play at 2016 Olympics for Brazil

Brazil captain Neymar says it is his "own choice" to play at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, while admitting to now resolved "frictions" with Barcelona over his summer plans.

After a long period of speculation, during which the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) said it "will do everything possible" to have the Barca man with the national team at both the Olympics and this summer's Copa America, it was decided in April that he would only feature in the Rio-based tournament.

Neymar is the most high-profile player set to feature at the Olympics and will miss the start of the 2016-17 club season as a result.

Other big stars who were considered as potential overage players to improve their country's chances of a gold medal included Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and Colombia's James Rodriguez, while Argentina have seen a string of qualified players including Ramiro Funes Mori, Luciano Vietto and Mauro Icardi opt against inclusion after originally being called up.

Speaking to Brazilian TV show Programa do Jo, Neymar said there had been a lot of conversations involved but in the end he himself had decided he would play at the Olympics.

"It was my own choice, more or less," Neymar said. "Barcelona did not want me to play the two competitions and asked me to choose one. I chose the Olympics, together with Gilmar [ex-national team coordinator] and Dunga [ex-national team coach].

"Sometimes there are frictions with your club, but with Barcelona it was all fine in the end. They let me choose the competition, and I went for the Olympics."

Neymar has recently ended months of speculation about a €190 million move to Manchester United, Paris Saint Germain or Real Madrid, by agreeing a new contract, tying him to the Barca until 2021, although the public presentation of the deal has been postponed.

Although his original move to Barca in 2013 continues to be controversial, the former Santos player said he still remembered the awe he felt when he first started playing alongside idols such as Lionel Messi.

"When I arrived at Barcelona and saw Messi's face, and later Luis Suarez, I felt like it was a videogame," he said. "It is difficult to take in that your idols are in the same place as you are."

Neymar suggested he would welcome Messi changing his mind over his recent international retirement and returning to play for Argentina in future.

"Football without Messi and Messi without football are not things that go together," he said. "Whoever likes football always likes to see the best player on the pitch."

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