Neymar neurosis clouds Brazil’s Wembley trip

IT is with a raincloud hovering above the head of their talisman Neymar that Brazil are gearing up for their final assignment of 2017 against England at Wembley on Tuesday.

Though Neymar has scored 11 goals in 12 games since his world-record move to Paris SaintGermain from Barcelona, recent weeks have yielded stories of rifts with his team- mates and disagreements with coach Unai Emery. He cut a fragile figure in the press conference that followed Brazil’s 3-1 win over Japan in a friendly in Lille on Friday, wiping away tears as national coach Tite spoke out in his defence and then hurriedly leaving the room.

Neymar has generally dazzled in Ligue 1 since completing his 222 million euros (US$ 259 million) transfer from Barcelona, but his recent performances have betrayed signs of unease.

He was sent off in PSG’s 2- 2 draw at Marseille after being shown a second yellow card for reacting angrily to a foul by Lucas Ocampos.

Although he scored ( and squandered a penalty) against Japan, he was also booked for cuf f ing Hiroki Sakai – who, coincidentally, plays for Marseille – on the back of the head.

More worrying yet for PSG’s fans have been the reports emanating from Brazil that Neymar has already expressed regret about leaving Barcelona.

He has returned to Barcelona at least twice since the start of the season, twice being pictured on social media with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, and is even reported to have asked them how they would feel if he came back for good. But for PSG team- mate Kylian Mbappe, Neymar’s emotional press conference was merely a reminder that the superstar is only flesh and blood. — AFP