Neymar heads list of footballers named for Rio 2016 Olympic Games
Barcelona star captains side aiming to win first Olympic gold medal, while Mexico's Peralta, Germany's Ginter and Colombia's Gutierrez are among other highlights
Neymar is set to be the most talked about footballer at the Rio 2016 Games (Photo: Getty Images/Billie Weiss)
Brazil superstar Neymar heads a list of world-class talent named by FIFA for the Rio 2016 Olympic men's and women's football squads on Monday (25 August).
The Barcelona forward will captain a strong Brazilian side aiming to win its first Olympic gold medal, following the disappointment of silver at London 2012 and failure on home soil in the 2014 World Cup.
Also included in coach Rogério Micale's 18-man squad are Neymar's Barcelona team-mate Rafinha, Paris Saint-Germain defender Marquinhos, Lazio midfielder Felipe Anderson, Santos starlet Gabriel Barbosa and highly rated Palmeiras teenager Gabriel Jesus.
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The last three gold medallists in the men's football tournament have come from the Americas, with Brazil set to face competition for gold from Colombia, Argentina and defending Olympic champions Mexico.
World Cup star Teo Gutierrez has been named in Colombia's squad, Atletico Madrid's Angel Correa is among the Argentina players selected and Oribe Peralta – who scored four goals for Mexico at London 2012 – will be aiming to for a second straight gold with El Tri.
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Germany's youthful line-up includes World Cup winner Matthias Ginter, along with the Bender twins Lars and Sven. Germany’s coach, Horst Hrubesch, vowed to keep faith with the youngsters who earned the team's place in Rio.
Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heungmin will lead the Republic of Korea challenge and Chelsea's John Obi Mikel will add some experience to an exciting Nigeria team.
Brazil are also among the medal favourites in the women's football competition, having named a squad including five-time world player of the year Marta and 38-year-old midfielder Formiga, who is set to appear in her sixth successive Olympic tournament.
Standing in the Brazilians' way are the reigning world and Olympic champions USA, whose squad features seven gold medal winners. Among them is goalkeeper Hope Solo, who could win a record fourth Olympic title at Rio 2016, and world player of the year Carli Lloyd.
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