Barcelona coach Luis Enrique says the Spanish club will have to weigh the demands on Neymar as it decides whether to release him for the Olympic soccer tournament at the Rio Games, just as theydid for Lionel Messi in 2008.
Neymar says he wants to be one of Brazil’s three over-age players at the Olympic Games but Barca is not required to release him.
“TheOlympic Games in your own country is something special for any sportsperson, no matter what the sport,” said Luis Enrique, a gold-medal winner with Spain at the 1992 Barcelona Games. “‘Ney’ alreadyhas a prior commitment. We’ll have to see how we manage the situation so the demands on him are not excessive, always putting [the welfare of] the player first.”
The commitment LuisEnrique was referring to is the Copa Centenario.