‘Brazil Really Needs Him’ – Cafu Shares the Expectations He Has for Neymar at the World Cup

The FIFA World Cup is later this year, and all the national teams know which countries stand in their way to reaching the knockout stages of the tournament in Qatar. Brazil finds itself in Group G with Serbia, Switzerland, and Cameroon. 

For Neymar Jr., it will be an opportunity for him and the squad to end Brazil’s 20 year World Cup drought. In an interview with BandSports (via UOL), Cafu, captain of the team that won the World Cup in 2002, praised Neymar’s “ability and potential” to help the Seleção in the competition.

“Neymar must reach the World Cup with his capability and potential at 100-percent. He is a player in which we have great faith. He is the last star of the last 20 years. We have not had a player with Neymar’s talent, with the ability and Neymar’s potential to dribble, make a difference and solve the game,” Cafu said. 

Cafu adds that he hopes that the Paris Saint-Germain forward understands how valuable he is to Brazil, and if they want to win the World Cup in Qatar, they need a Neymar at his best form.

“We hope that Neymar can arrive with a clear head at the World Cup because we are going to need him. We already know that Neymar is a very experienced player; I hope he is aware that Brazil really needs him to win this Cup,” Cafu said. 

It’s not an easy group that Brazil finds itself in, as Switzerland did take down France in the UEFA Euros last year, and Cameroon reached the semifinals of the African Cup of Nations this year. 

Furthermore, Serbia and the Swiss were in Brazil’s group in 2018, so they’ll be familiar with the South American team.