Barcelona news: Neymar will play for Brazil in Rio, to miss Copa America

By Jude Abastar, Christian Post Contributor

Brazilian soccer star Neymar, via his club Barcelona, announced on Wednesday that he no longer will be participating in Copa America and will instead play for his country at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. This is in contrast with his previous declaration that he wanted to play in both tournaments.

Well, the decision isn't really something he could have made up on his own since Barcelona will be taking a huge risk if he was given the go signal to play in both events. Therefore, the choice of picking the Olympics over Copa America made the most sense since Brazil will be playing for pride in their own soil. If his Spanish club allowed him to play in whatever tournament he wants while representing his country, then it could not only affect his conditioning and body for next season but will also risk him getting injured along the way.

Brazil FA and Barcelona have reportedly been in constant talks for several months now, but coming up with a deal about the 24-year old star's availability was more challenging than expected. Obviously, Barcelona fans want him to get as much rest as possible, but Brazilian football fans couldn't imagine a team without its best player.

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Here's part of the statement his club released right after reaching a deal with the confederation:

FC Barcelona expresses its gratitude to the Brazilian Football Confederation and its president Marco Polo del Nero for accepting the Club's proposal for Neymar Jr to only play at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro this summer, and not at the Copa America in the United States.

The Brazil Olympics will start from August 3 and concludes in August 31, while Copa America on the other hand starts early June.

Neymar's performance in the past couple of games for Barcelona was something he shouldn't be proud of. His team got the boot from the Champions League after getting defeated by Atletico Madrid. But if he could make a difference in the Olympics, he'll have his reputation as a big-time player restored.

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