Neymar given number 10 as Brazil prepare for Olympic Games

Just a day before the big event in Rio, Brazil revealed players jersey numbers, as the team goes in search of Brazil’s long-awaited first Olympic gold medal.

Brazil will host South Africa, Iraq and Denmark in group A, where they will play their opening match against South Africa on Thursday, 4 August at Mane Garrincha stadium in Brasilia. The second match versus Iraq will be played at the same venue on Sunday, 7 August, before the team will travel to Fonte Nova Arena in Salvador on Wednesday, 10 August. There they will play Denmark for their last match of the group stage.

On 31 July, 38-year-old goalkeeper Fernando Prass left the squad due to an injury he sustained on his elbow and 28-year-old Atletico Paranaense’s Weverton Pereira da Silva earned his first ever call-up to replace the former.

Brazil’s trio Gabriel Barbosa (Gabigol), Neymar and Gabriel Jesus will wear number 9, 10 and 11. Barcelona’s Rafinha is to wear number 8, while the other two over-age players apart from Neymar, namely, Weverton and Renato Augusto will wear numbers 1 and 5 respectively. 

Brazilian press has expressed admiration for coach Rogerio Micale’s modern footballing ideas and desire to build a firm team.

One of the tactical formations Micale is testing in training is a 4-2-3-1, with Gabriel Jesus as a lone striker. Neymar left, Gabigol right and either of Felipe Anderson or Rafinha as number 10. Thiago Maia and Renato Augusto as two defensive midfielders. Douglas Santos left-back, Zeca right-back, with Marquinhos and Rodrigo Caio as centre-backs. These are the position most of the players occupied at their clubs recently.