Neymar launches new tournament, reveals his 'dream five-a-side' team
Barcelona superstar Neymar Jr. is all set to start his own football tournament in January. The Brazilian sensation launched the tournament on Saturday and is reported to feature thousands of young footballers from 35 countries across six continents.
The tournament is called “Neymar Jr’s Five” and is reported to be conducted with the support of popular energy drink giants RedBull.
The tournament will be a 5-a-side competition, with some witty twists. When asked about an interesting rule being laid out for the event, the 23-year old had this to say.
“The five-player teams lose one player each time they concede a goal until there are no players left, or the 10-minute game ends."
It will come as no surprise that this was the kind of football Neymar has always loved and that is why he came up with this brilliant concept for youngsters around the word.
Neymar, who has been in irresistible form this season, has been chosen among the final three nominees for the prestigious Ballon d’Or along with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Brazilian’s career has taken a huge upswing since last season and has joined forces with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez to form one of the most lethal attacking triumvirate ever seen in world football.
Neymar reveals his dream 5-a-side team
During the launch of the tournament, Neymar was asked to choose footballers he would want to be part of his five-a-side team. The forward did not disappoint the request as he hardly sprung any surprises with his team selection.
Neymar picked Barca teammates Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Dani Alves along with fellow Brazilian and Paris Saint-Germain defender Thiago Silva in his 5-a-side team.
When asked about why he choose the players mentioned above, he revealed his thoughts on his ‘dream team’.
“He's the best player in the world,” he said regarding Messi.
“Right from the start, Messi helped me a lot at Barcelona, both on and off the field. We have a great relationship and I want to continue playing and getting better alongside him.”
“Luis is a great player and should’ve been on the podium for the Ballon d’Or as well. With Luis and Leo [Messi], the secret is that we enjoy playing together and we try to play well and have fun at the same time,” he added while talking about strike partner Suarez.
Neymar heaped praise on national teammate Thiago Silva. He said, “Thiago Silva is one of the toughest defenders I’ve ever had to play against and someone I’ve always admired. He’s also a great man and a great captain.”
Neymar’s friendship with Dani Alves has been well-known for a while now and the former had nothing but kind words for the eccentric full-back.
“When I arrived at Barcelona he was my partner on the right wing and we struck up a great relationship. Dani is one of my best friends in football as well, so it would be fantastic to have him in the team.”