Brazil hero Neymar steps down as captain

Barcelona star Neymar said he will step down as Brazil captain on Saturday after leading the Olympic Games´ hosts to their first ever football gold medal.

"It was an honour to be captain, but from today I am no longer captain," Neymar told SporTV after scoring the winning penalty in a 5-4 shootout win over Germany.

New coach of the Brazil senior side Tite will take charge of his first game in charge against Ecuador on September 1 after Dunga was sacked following Brazil´s group stage exit from the Copa America.

"To send the message to Tite that from now he can look for another captain," added Neymar.
Neymar captained the mainly under-23 side during the Games and Brazil´s Olympic coach Rogerio Micale described his decision to step down as "noble."

"It was a noble gesture on Neymar´s part to leave it up to Tite," said Micale. "We had this discussion and it wasn´t public at the time before. I decided I wanted him to be captain, he was the best person to be captain for the team.

"He knows that, the team knows that, but I repeat it was a noble gesture on Neymar´s part to let Tite decide who will be the captain.

"It demonstrates maturity on Neymar´s part, he is a leader in the national team, he is dedicated. I finish this tournament with the best possible impressions of Neymar as do the team."

The 24-year-old´s role as captain was questioned after he was sent-off in just his second competitive match in the role against Colombia at last year´s Copa America.

Neymar was also roundly criticised for his underwhelming displays in Brazil´s opening 0-0 draws against South Africa and Iraq and slammed his critics after scoring not only Brazil´s winning penalty, but also a brilliant free-kick the gold medal match.

"This is one of the best things that has happened in my life," he said. "Now they´ll (the critics) have to swallow what they said."