Brazil is one of the teams that will be challenging for the 2022 FIFA World and will be the third tournament with Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar Jr. as its marquee player.
At 30, the Brazilian understands that time is running out to win a World Cup for his country, which last won in 2002 and for a football nation such as Brazil, 20 years is a long time between trophies.
In a recent interview with Esquire Middle East, Neymar discussed what it would mean to win the World Cup for Brazil as the tournament gets underway for the South American country on Nov. 24.
“It’s been my dream since I was a kid to win the World Cup,” Neymar said. “I imagined myself holding this trophy and I have another opportunity to try to do so in Qatar. I hope I will smile at the end (…) At the World Cup, being a favorite does not mean winning. Losing is never easy in football, but in the World Cup, it’s worse.
“That’s why you have to prepare well, be 100% physically and mentally. The preparation for this World Cup is better than usual because it comes in the middle of the season when you are at your best physically. Players can be tired for tournaments at the end of a season and so I think the level of this World Cup is going to be very high.”
Neymar will be 34 when the next World Cup comes around in 2026, so if health and form permit, he should play in that tournament; nonetheless, there’s no guarantee in sports, as everyone knows.
As a result, Neymar wants to win the tournament because if he’s able to help Brazil end their drought, the PSG star can also quiet many pundits who have said that the forward isn’t a player any team can win with as their focal point.
