t spear, I can tell you that. Now until my next appearance,

SAO PAULO -- The last time Brazil played a major soccer tournament at home, Neymar was stretchered off the field and then missed an embarrassing loss against Germany in the 2014 World Cup semifinals.Two years later, the Barcelona star looks to rebound from that disappointment at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.Although the Olympic soccer tournament doesnt have the same importance of a World Cup, the Rio Games have a special meaning for the Brazilian striker. Neymar will be one of the games biggest stars and will carry the responsibility of leading the five-time world champions to their first soccer gold medal.Its a unique opportunity, he said. Not only for me, but for everyone on the team. We know how important this medal is.All eyes will be on the 24-year-old striker, who opted to play in the Olympics instead of the Copa America earlier this year. Brazil was eliminated in the group stage of that tournament, a result that prompted the firing of coach Dunga.Because its not an official FIFA tournament, teams are not required to release players for the Olympic tournament, but Neymar and the Brazilian soccer confederation negotiated with Barcelona so he could play in Rio.I know that this gold medal has eluded Brazil so far, and we will do everything to try to win it, Neymar told Brazilian television recently. Its rare that a country like Brazil, considered the land of football, still hasnt won this gold.It will be the second time Neymar will play for Brazil at the Olympics. He led the team that lost the 2012 final to Mexico in London, where the Brazilians were the heavy favorites. Brazil was runner-up twice before, in 1984 and 1988. It also won the bronze in 1996 and 2008, the last time with a squad that featured Ronaldinho and future stars like Marcelo and Thiago Silva.Neymar is special, one of the best players in the world, said Rogerio Micale, who replaced Dunga as coach of the Olympic team. Any team can benefit from a player like him. He will mean a lot to us. I think that he will be able to lead the youngsters in the squad.Neymar will be one of the three over-23 players each nation is allowed to add to its roster. The other two are 38-year-old Palmeiras goalkeeper Fernando Prass and 28-year-old Beijing Guoan midfielder Renato Augusto, who have far less international experience than Neymar.No other player will attract as much attention -- from fans, media and opposing teams -- as Neymar.Im honored to be in this team, because I know how difficult it is to win an Olympic medal in any sport, he said. With football its even more difficult because if you are not the champion, people see it differently.Neymar is facing extra pressure after Dunga was fired for the second time from the national team. Without the experienced coach by his side, Neymar will carry the fate of the team, and the striker can become a national hero if he wins the gold, or join a long list of stars -- Romario, Rivaldo, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, among others -- who have failed in the pursuit of the gold.I never run away from the responsibility. Im used to it, Neymar said. We have another great opportunity to win an Olympic medal, and hopefully this time it will be the gold.Neymar also had a prominent role at the World Cup in Brazil two years ago, when he played up to expectations until breaking a bone in his back in the quarterfinals against Colombia and missing the rest of the tournament. Brazil eventually was eliminated after an embarrassing 7-1 loss to Germany in the semifinals.I dont compare tournaments. I just like winning every tournament that I play, Neymar said. All of them are important for me. Each has its own history, its own characteristic, but they are all important.Brazil had a favorable draw and will face South Africa, Iraq and Denmark in Group A, making its debut Aug. 4 against South Africa in Brasilia. In the quarterfinals, the hosts could face Colombia or Nigeria, two youth powerhouses.The final will be played Aug. 20 at Maracana Stadium in Rio.---Tales Azzoni on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tazzoni. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/tales-azzoni Wholesale Custom Jerseys .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Cheap Custom Jerseys China . 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If the finish of Bill Goldbergs 86-second dismantling of Brock Lesnar at Sundays WWE Survivor Series main event left you in shock, well, that of course was by design.Guess what? Im not even calling you from the hospital, Goldberg told ESPN.com on Tuesday as he let out a hearty laugh, moments after his plane home from Toronto touched down. After two months promoting the violent reality of his scripted return to pro wrestling at 49, following a 12-year retirement, it was clear he still enjoyed the show business side of swerving the audience.I think at this time in my career, the best way to take [Lesnar] down was shock and awe, to do something that nobody would expect against a monster like that, Goldberg said. At the end of the day, you have smart marks all over the world thinking that they know the outcome of a match. I dont believe any of them thought that was going to be it.But as WWE fans continue to digest the shock value from Survivor Series, two things are certain: Goldberg will, in fact, compete in the Royal Rumble on Jan. 29 in San Antonio, which he announced on Mondays episode of Raw, and something changed between the moment his one-off return was announced in October and the moment the booking for Sundays match was finalized.Theres only so much Goldberg can say publicly about his contract status with WWE without giving away where his characters storyline is headed over the next few months or whether his stay will extend to WrestleMania 33 in April.Im only as good as my next appearance and my next match, he said. Im concentrating on the Royal Rumble and thats it. I dont have any plans of doing anything afterwards. My focus is on the 29 other men that Im going to have to crucify to win that damn match.At some point, the build-up to the return of Goldberg, in his first match since a 2004 victory over Lesnar at WrestleMania XX that was serenaded in boos, exceeded expectations for both WWE and the wrestler himself in terms of the fans nostalgic response. And somewhere within that process -- Goldberg wont say when -- the decision was made to extend his comeback beyond Sunday.Its completely dependent if you are a smart businessman upon the return on your product, Goldberg said. I believe that you have to wait and see if that investment is going to pay off and I think each and every time I was given the opportunity, I hoped that I was able to carry the ball and give [WWE] the confidence to have me back and further include me in their plans.Its impossible to ignore the level of buzz that his return has created for WWE and the attention has been just as overwhelming for Goldberg himself. In fact, his cell phone vibrated routinely throughout Tuesdays phone interview with a flood of text messages from well-wishers, which he says began before he even exited the ring on Sunday.From celebrity friends such as ex-NFL cohorts Jim Kelly and Gilbert Brown, Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Rickey Medlocke and actor Daniel Baldwin, to the faithful support of his extended family, who packed the first few rows at Air Canada Centre, Goldberg is nothing if not humbled by the love he has received.But the experience of having his 10-year-old son Gage, who provided the inspiration for Goldbergs return, jump the riingside barrier after the match and join him inside the ring for a shirtless embrace was a once-in-a-lifetime moment that Goldberg said he couldnt be more thankful for.ddddddddddddFirstly, I really dont know why he pulled his shirt off in the stands anyway, Goldberg said. At the end of the day, it was hilarious. I couldnt have asked for a better way to write the story. I mean, I really couldnt have. You hope and you wish and you dream for the right things to happen and everything to fall into place. But I never could have imagined for it to work out like this.For as shocking as the finish was for many, it was an ending that was more realistic to a real fight than many WWE matches. That element wasnt lost on Goldberg, who like the UFC veteran Lesnar, is known for his stiff fighting style, which includes elements of mixed martial arts that both performers have regularly trained or competed in.To be able to be booked [to win] against a guy like Brock Lesnar is a dream come true, Goldberg said. Youre looking in a lot of ways at a mirror image of yourself. I think we bring something to the table that is completely different than any other two people in the sport of professional wrestling. And I am proud of that, and I think that weve got that market pretty much cornered. I dont know if that was the case prior to me coming in and being his opponent, but I do believe that thats a special space and I think we can pretty much call our own right now.A self-proclaimed perfectionist regarding his own in-ring work, Goldberg says he was fairly happy with his performance Sunday, which included two spears and a Jackhammer on Lesnar. When asked, however, whether he connected on his spears to the level of his impossible-to-please standards, Goldberg said he came up short as far as truly laying it in.No, I never will. If I would have laid it in to my standards, I would have put him completely through the second ropes, he said.When I had bigger traps it was a lot easier to unload with that spear, I can tell you that. Now until my next appearance, Im going to be doing shrugs and upright rows every 15 minutes. The reality is, Im not 24 or 34 anymore. Things are going to be different when I prepare for and when I compete in an athletic endeavor.Goldberg says he can deal with the limitations of his body while trying to resurrect a character so dependent upon physicality and intimidation. Despite the brief nature of Sundays match, for example, he admits the plane ride home still involved multiple ice bags in strategic locations.But for now until he appears again ahead of the Royal Rumble, Goldberg considers himself on the clock, with every decision he makes in his daily life predicated toward looking and performing better the next time he steps foot in a WWE ring.My fans can expect the same thing that they hopefully fell in love with years ago, Goldberg said. Im still the same guy mentally and emotionally. But things have changed and I dont present myself physically maybe the same way. But it doesnt mean that inside of this mind theres still not that monster thats ready to come out. ' ' '