Brazil: Am Against Neymar Being Captain, He Doesn't Have Leadership Abilities - Cafu

The Barcelona star, who arrived from Santos in 2013, was handed the armband on a permanent basis in September 2014, with returning coach Dunga preferring the 23-year-old to Paris Saint-Germain defender Thiago Silva.

We need to take responsibility off him. We have to let him enjoy himself. He doesn’t have to talk to the referee, to be the middleman

Brazil have won 14 of 16 matches since, with Neymar scoring 11 goals, although he was unable to lead his country to 2015 Copa America success, seeing red against Colombia and suspended for the remainder of the tournament. Cafu, his country’s most capped player with 142 from 1990-2006, feels the weight of the role should be lifted off Neymar’s shoulders, for now at least.

Juninho Attacks Dunga Over Selection Of Players

Former Brazil ace Juninho Pernambucano has slammed national team boss Dunga for dropping Paris Saint-Germain defender Thiago Silva.

Dunga announced his squad for September's friendlies against Costa Rica and USA on Thursday and the decision to omit former Selecao skipper Thiago Silva was the subject of much debate.

The former AC Milan centre-half was heavily criticised for his performances and perceived lack of leadership skills during last summer's ultimately shocking World Cup campaign on home soil and, after missing the start of the 2014-15 campaign through injury, lost his place in the Brazil starting line-up.

Thiago Silva Appeals To Brazilian Fans After German Thrashing

Thiago Silva has urged disgruntled Brazil fans to help the crestfallen FIFA World Cup hosts overcome the side's semi-final capitulation.

Missing captain Thiago Silva through suspension in Belo Horizonte on Tuesday, Brazil suffered a humiliating 7-1 thrashing at the hands of rampant Germany. A desperate first-half performance saw Brazil go into the break 5-0 down and things barely improved after the interval as Germany cruised into an eighth World Cup final.

Brazil fans, so fervent in their support of the national team throughout the tournament, were stunned into silence and even began to applaud Joachim Low's side after Andre Schurrle netted the seventh goal.

THIAGO SILVA: Cup Win Vital For PSG

Paris Saint-Germain captain Thiago Silva has called for a reaction from his side in Saturday's Coupe de la Ligue final against Olympique Lyonnais.

PSG go-to-head with Ligue 1 rivals Lyon in the showpiece event at Stade de France but defeat would only increase pressure on coach Laurent Blanc.

The three-time champions, who remain on track to defend their Ligue 1 crown, suffered back-to-back losses for the first time this season after falling to Chelsea in the Champions League and Lyon in the space of a week.

THIAGO SILVA: I Want Hazard At PSG

According to Skysports, Paris Saint-Germain defender Thiago Silva has welcomed speculation linking Chelsea midfielder Eden Hazard with a move to the Ligue 1 champions.

Hazard starred for Chelsea in their 3-0  over Newcastle on Saturday, scoring a hat-trick in the 3-0 victory. He moved to Stamford Bridge from French outfit Lille in 2012, having helped Les Dogues to the title in his penultimate season.

Silva revealed that PSG’s wealthy owner, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, regularly discusses transfer targets with the senior players and that the players will talk about who they would like to see at the club between each other, with Hazard’s name coming up regularly.

MONACO 1 PSG 1: Thiago Silva Own Goal Gives Monaco Point

Paris Saint-Germain missed the chance to extend their lead at the top of Ligue 1 as they were held to a 1-1 draw by title rivals Monaco. Javier Pastore's first league goal of the season, and his first in 1,207 Ligue 1 minutes, put Laurent Blanc's side ahead but they were not able to hang on and record an eighth away win in the league this season. Monaco battled hard and they were level with 16 minutes to go as Thiago Silva put through his own goal.

The league leaders piled on the pressure in an attempt to find a winner but their efforts proved in vain and they had to settle for a point, which also extended Monaco's unbeaten run to five league games. The draw means the gap at the summit remains at five points, with both games between the two sides having ended all square this season.

DULL CAPTAIN: Thiago Silva fumbles in Ballon d' Or vote

when Brazil captain Thiago Silva sat down with Globoesporte to discuss – amongst other things – his Ballon d’Or vote there was a degree of surprise when he revealed that he had not voted for compatriot Neymar. This was not a slight on his counterpart - the defender simply didn't understand the (simple) rules.
"It was a pity that I could not vote for Brazilians," said the PSG defender.
"Neymar would be first and I would have put myself second."
"Instead, I voted for Messi as first, second Ibra due to all the goals he has scored, and Cristiano Ronaldo in third. He did not win any titles last year."
So there you have it. Neymar is the best player in the world with Thiago Silva a close second. See the rules for voting after the cut.