SA U23 star eyes Neymar showdown
Dolly hopes to use Rio as springboard to Europe
SOUTH Africa U23 star Keagan Dolly says he is looking forward to taking on Brazil superstar Neymar at the 2016 Olympics Games later this year.
The swashbuckling Barcelona star has reportedly been given permission by his Spanish club to feature at the global showpiece to be held in his native Brazil from August 5-21.
SA were drawn with hosts Brazil, Asian qualifier Iraq and Denmark last week, and Dolly told the Daily Dispatch that the draw presents the perfect opportunity for coach Owen da Gama’s charges to impress the many European scouts who are expected to be in attendance.
“I’m actually quite excited with the draw, playing Brazil knowing that they might call up Neymar,” he said.
“I mean these players are playing in the [Uefa] Champions League. All South Africans want to play in the Champions League, so we are quite excited.”
Brazil beat South Africa 3-1 in a recent friendly and Dolly admitted that it will be a big ask to get anything out of their clash with the South Americans.
“If you look at the starting lineup that played against us, none of them play in Brazil. All of them are playing for big name teams in Europe and it was a good experience for the boys. It was a lesson learnt and we got an insight into what Brazil is about. And hopefully we can get something out of it.”
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu recently told the media that the La Liga club would not permit Neymar to play at both the Copa America – to be held in the US from 3-26 June 2016 – and the Olympics.
“We understand that the player wants to play in everything, but we are asking them [Brazil Football Confederation] to place value on the idea that the player compete in just one event. We would prefer that to be the Olympics,” Bartomeu said.
Dolly insisted that the South Africans would not travel to South America just to make up the numbers.
“One thing we don’t want to do is just be part of the tournament, you know. We want to go represent the country well and hopefully get contracts in Europe,” said the Westbury-born midfielder.
Dolly added that Denmark and Iraq deserve some respect, but maintained that he is confident that South Africa can progress beyond the group stage.
“What we will do is focus on ourselves and focus on what we are good at as a country; the one-twos,” Dolly concluded.
● “You score one goal and now you are doing interviews.”
This is how mercilessly Mario Booysen was teased by his SuperSport United teammates when he spoke to media after his goal inspired Matsatsantsa to a 2-0 victory over Platinum Stars at Royal Bafokeng Stadium on Sunday.
Booysen had a good laugh, which shows just how much the defender, who is on loan from Mamelodi Sundowns, is enjoying himself – on and off the pitch.
Since joining SuperSport in January, the 27-year-old has played 10 league matches and is building a strong partnership with Clayton Daniels in central defence. He says he would love to stay with Sundowns’ rivals.
“I am enjoying myself because all you want to do as a footballer is be on the field and do what you love. The confidence gets better game by game.” — Additional reporting by Tshepang Mailwane