Brazil captain Neymar was supposed to be one of the shining stars at the Copa America, but instead he wrote the headlines for all the wrong reasons - it seems he is too immature to carry the captain's armband.
Read: Ref Reveals What Neymar Did In The Tunnel
He had a brilliant season with FC Barcelona and has been exception for Brazil, but that was until he lost the plot following Brazil's defeat against Colombia at the Copa America. Although the blame lies squarely with Neymar, I believe Brazil's national team coach, Carlos Dunga, is partly to blame for the behaviour of his superstar.
During the game against Colombia, Neymar showed signs of frustration and could have been sent off twice during regular time. After the final whistle, he then kicked the ball into the back of Pablo Armero before attempting to head-butt another opposition player.
Many, though, have questioned why he received a four-match ban (which has ruled him out of the rest of the Copa America) because he didn't successfully head-butt his opponent, and Armero certainly exaggerated any injury he might have suffered.
New reports, however, claim that he waited in the tunnel for the referee, insulted him and allegedly even grabbed him by the neck. Hence, some experts explained that Neymar was, in fact, lucky to only get banned for four games and not 10.
Such behaviour is really a disgrace to football and not worthy of any national team captain, who is supposed to be a role-model for teammates and millions of fans.
This negativity has been building around Neymar, and he recently showed signs of a new level of arrogance and aggression. Previously he often hid it behind mockery of his opponents, or when showboating, but he hasn't seemed to be the happy Neymar he was at the 2010 World Cup.
But can we really blame him? Dunga made him captain of a Brazil team which he has been carrying for the past couple of years, until the Selecao imploded when a Neymar-less Brazil was thrashed 7-1 by Germany at the 2014 World Cup. Following this bitter footballing lesson, Dunga rebuilt Brazil and took the captaincy from Thiago Silva to hand it to Neymar.
Now even more pressure was on his shoulders and it all built up until he literally exploded.
Hopefully the 23-year-old, who shone throughout the season with 39 goals in 51 games for Barcelona, learns from this ban and follows the example of the likes of Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi. Both players are similar to Neymar in that they are simply more skilful than the players around them. In the same way they are kicked and chased by opposition players throughout every game, however Ronaldinho and Messi are hardly ever caught up in altercations like Neymar. Instead, they respond on the pitch and score important goals, which simply hurts the opposition more than kicking the ball into their backs or any head-butt ever could.
Read: Neymar Explains Why He Quit Brazil's Camp
If Neymar can learn this lesson and grow stronger from this Copa America fiasco, he may be a worthy captain of Brazil in future. Right now, though, he seems to be too immature and Dunga should carefully consider whether to hand him the armband again.
Do you agree that Neymar is too immature to captain Brazil? Have your say in the comments section below.
