Things you need to know about Neymar’s Olympic quest

Things you need to know about Neymar’s Olympic quest

The countdown has already begun for the Rio Olympic 2016. And it is high time we should reflect on some of the most intriguing facts about Neymar’s Olympic quest.

Things you need to know about Neymar’s Olympic quest

The men’s football tournament takes place from 4-20 August with the 16 nations split into four groups of four.

The top two teams from each group venture into the knockout stages. There are only 12 teams in the women’s tournament forming three groups of four which begins on 3 August .

That allows the two best third-placed teams to progress to the last eight. Quarter-finals and semi-finals will determine the gold medal match-up played on 19 August.

A gold in the men’s football tournament in the final at the historic Maracana stadium is a mission. It is one of Brazil’s most wanted as it hosts the games for the first time.

They have won five World Cups. And they were also the champions of South America eight times. Olympic gold is the only major honour to escape the illustrious Selecao.

They have won the silver medal thrice with even the likes of Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and previously Neymar missing out.

Barcelona star Neymar — who sat out the Copa America in June to take part — returns to the team. He is to spearhead a strong squad with Brazil heavy favourites to finally break their duck. They will try despite the presence of world champions Germany and eternal rivals Argentina.

Neymar will be one of three players over the age of 23 each side can employ. The restriction introduced for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics was a compromise. It reached between football’s governing body FIFA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It was rather in order to to allow professional players to play without rivaling FIFA’s prize asset the World Cup.

Meanwhile, although Neymar is far from the only world class talent to have carried the hopes of his nation in the Olympics he certainly is Brazil’s hope.