Neymar has criticised the connection between the Brazil national team and their fans as he questioned whether the Selecao are as important now.
Brazil became the first South American team to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, with Neymar set to take part in Qatar in November.
However, the Paris Saint-Germain forward, who missed a penalty in a 3-1 defeat to Nantes in Ligue 1 on Saturday, believes the Selecao's games are not talked about enough and there is no hype around their outings.
"Today the national team has distanced itself from the fans, I don't know why, but I see it through the games," Neymar told Ronaldo Nazario on the Fenomenos podcast.
"There is little comment, few people know when we are going to play. And that's bad, it's sad. In this generation of mine, when the national team plays, it's no longer important.
"When I was a child, the national team match was an event. You put the Brazilian flag in the window. There was a barbecue, there was cake and there was everything at home. It was quite an event.
"Today it no longer has that importance, I don't know how we got to this stage. I hope that everything will come back, that the fans will once again support the Brazilian team.
"That we'll be together to go in search of the World Cup, which is what everyone wants."
Neymar has endured a tumultuous relationship with Brazil, revealing last year that he was unsure whether he could manage another World Cup with the national side due to the mental stress it imposes on him.
Brazil remain unbeaten in their 15 CONMEBOL qualifiers for the World Cup, in which they next face Chile on March 24.
Bayern Munich avoided another slip-up in their pursuit of the Bundesliga title, coming from behind to beat the league's bottom side Greuther Furth 4-1 thanks to a Robert Lewandowski brace.
Julian Nagelsmann's men went into what most expected to be a routine game enduring a blip in form, having lost their last league fixture at Bochum and been held to a 1-1 draw by Salzburg in the Champions League.
It appeared as if their poor run might be extended when Branimir Hrgota gave Greuther a surprise first-half lead.
However, Lewandowski quickly repaired the damage after the interval and an own goal from Sebastian Griesbeck followed by a late header from the Poland striker and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting's injury-time effort gave Bayern an ultimately emphatic win.
Greuther were the more threatening side in the first half and got their reward when captain Hrgota's free-kick took a significant deflection and found the top-left corner.
But Bayern needed just 30 seconds of the second half to level matters, Lewandowski turning in from Serge Gnabry's pull back from the right byline was flicked into his path by Choupo-Moting.
The visitors looked increasingly fragile at the back and the turnaround was completed as Thomas Muller's excellent right-wing cross was deflected onto the unfortunate Griesbeck, who could not avoid turning into his own net.
Bayern were not without their own problems at the back, though, Max Christiansen and Marco Meyerhofer each hitting the post for Greuther, but the points were secured when Lewandowski converted from Niklas Sule's header back across goal and Choupo-Moting had the final say after being teed up by Gnabry.
Manchester United became the first team to win 700 Premier League games following their thrilling 4-2 victory over Leeds United.
The Red Devils had to work hard for their milestone triumph at Elland Road on Sunday. Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes put them 2-0 ahead by the interval in torrid conditions in Yorkshire, but Rodrigo and Raphinha restored parity with quickfire goals early in the second half.
However, Fred scored immediately after coming on from the bench before fellow substitute Anthony Elanga netted a fourth late on.
Overall, the Old Trafford club are 90 wins ahead of Chelsea, who have won the second-most matches (610), with Arsenal close behind in third on 609.
Manchester United great Ryan Giggs has won the most games in the competition for the club, claiming 407 victories from 632 appearances. Paul Scholes is the second on that list, with 321 wins.
They have won 28 games in five different Premier League seasons – their highest return in a single campaign, including doing so in consecutive seasons (2011-12 and 2012-13, which was the campaign in which they last won the title).
United have defeated each of Aston Villa, Tottenham and Everton on 37 occasions, as well as having beaten every single side they have faced in the competition.
Of their 700 wins, 399 have come at Old Trafford, while the away venues where they have landed the most victories are Villa Park (17) and Goodison Park (17).
The only venue at which United have played multiple games in the competition and never won is Huddersfield Town's John Smith's Stadium.
Substitute Fred was the hero as Manchester United withstood a second-half fightback to defeat rivals Leeds United 4-2 and become the first team to register 700 Premier League wins.
First-half goals from Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes had the visitors seemingly coasting towards three points in Sunday's contest at a sodden Elland Road.
But Leeds' reputation for chaos coupled with United's for showing a soft centre each came to fruition as two goals in the space of 59 seconds from Rodrigo and Raphinha turned the game on its head.
There would be another twist, though, as Fred drilled home just three minutes after entering the fray to help the Red Devils secure a double over their cross-Pennine rivals, with a slice of history confirmed when fellow sub Anthony Elanga netted late on.
Blood was literally spilled by Robin Koch after a clash of heads with Scott McTominay, which later led to the Leeds defender going off.
David de Gea beat away an Adam Forshaw stinger prior to Paul Pogba laying the ball across the face of goal for Cristiano Ronaldo, who scooped a close-range effort straight at Illan Meslier.
Meslier kept out Fernandes but from the follow-up corner Maguire emphatically headed in Luke Shaw's delivery.
Fernandes then nodded in a beauty of a dinked cross from Jadon Sancho at the end of a slick counter to double the lead on the stroke of half time.
A chaotic 59-second period in the second half dramatically saw Leeds level by the 54th minute.
Rodrigo's cross from the left deceived De Gea and found the far corner, before Forshaw robbed Fernandes of possession prior to Dan James' low cross being met on the slide by half-time sub Raphinha.
But United would regain the lead when Fred hammered past Meslier at his near post after being teed up by Sancho with 20 minutes to play, and Elanga rolled home a fourth with the clock winding down.
The Jamaica Lawn Bowls Association has selected Robert Simpson and Maureen Caesar to represent Jamaica at the 2022 World Bowls Indoor Championships set for the City & County of Bristol Indoor Bowling Club, Bristol, England from 25-29 April 2022.
Andrey Rublev was crowned champion at the Open 13 Provence after downing Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-5 7-6 (7-4) in the final.
Auger-Aliassime defeated Rublev in Rotterdam last week on the way to securing his maiden ATP Tour title, though all of their past meetings had required a deciding set.
Canadian Auger-Aliassime immediately broke Rublev, but the world number seven battled back to eventually claim the first set after a tense 56-minute opening exchange.
The pair twice exchanged breaks in the following set, with Rublev failing to serve out for the match at 5-4 before saving a set point at 5-6 down.
Rublev rallied from that point onwards, however, claiming his ninth tour-level triumph after a second set tie-break.
The Russian will look to become just the third man in the tournament's 30-year history to win the singles and doubles titles in the same edition when he takes to the court with Ukraine's Denys Molchanov in the doubles final.
Thomas Bach reiterated his wish for peace as the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) officially closed the Beijing Games.
In his welcoming speech earlier in February, Bach stated: "There will be no discrimination for any reason whatsoever. In our fragile world, where division, conflict and mistrust are on the rise, we show the world: yes, it is possible to be fierce rivals, while at the same time living peacefully and respectfully together.
"This is the mission of the Olympic Games: bringing us together in peaceful competition. Always building bridges, never erecting walls. Uniting humankind in all our diversity."
And with tensions between Russia and the west rising over the possibility of a Ukraine invasion, Bach believes the Beijing Games have been the perfect example of "solidarity and peace", as he called on world leaders to be inspired by the athletes.
"Each and every one of you strived to achieve your personal best. We were deeply touched how you were wishing and cheering for your competitors to achieve their best as well.
"You not only respected each other: you embraced each other, even if your countries are divided by conflict.
"You overcame these divisions, demonstrating that in this Olympic community we are all equal – regardless of what we look like, where we come from, or what we believe.
"This unifying power of the Olympic Games is stronger than the forces that want to divide us: you give peace a chance," he said.
Bach also emphasised the importance of the COVID-19 vaccination programme.
The pandemic, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has been ongoing for two years, and Bach stressed the crucial need for poorer nations to have equal access to the vaccines.
"If we want to finally overcome this pandemic, we must be faster," he said.
"We must aim higher, we must be stronger, we must stand together. Vaccination means caring for each other.
"In this Olympic spirit of solidarity, we call on the international community: give equal access to vaccines for everybody around the world."
Paulo Dybala will miss the first leg of Juventus' Champions League last-16 clash with Villarreal due to injury.
The Argentina international was forced off in the second half during a 1-1 derby draw with Torino in Serie A on Friday.
Bianconeri head coach Massimiliano Allegri appeared unworried by the injury to one of his key forwards after the game, but Juve confirmed on Sunday that the former Palermo man is expected to be out for 10 days due to muscle problems in his left thigh.
The 28-year-old, who is Juve's leading scorer across all competitions with 12 goals this season, will therefore be absent from the clashes with Villarreal on Tuesday and the Serie A meeting with Empoli on Saturday.
Allegri's side brought in Dusan Vlahovic in January but the absence of Dybala will be a big miss, the striker topping Juve's charts for minutes per goal (154.7), while he has added a team-high six assists.
Juve will also be without Daniele Rugani after he suffered a hamstring problem against Torino.
The centre-back is expected to be out of action for a similar period of time to Dybala, with the pair eyeing a return against Fiorentina on March 2 in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final.
Andreas Christensen heaped praise on team-mate Hakim Ziyech after the winger delivered the crucial strike as Chelsea battled to victory at Crystal Palace.
Ziyech popped up in the 89th minute at Selhurst Park on Saturday to slide through Vicente Guaita's legs after seeing an earlier finish ruled out for offside.
That was the Morocco international's third goal in as many Premier League games as Chelsea continued their winning ways after Club World Cup success, leaving them third in the league with 50 points – seven away from second-placed Liverpool.
And centre-back Christensen believes the former Ajax man deserves his recent run of form in front of goal after the Blues ground out another win.
Christensen said, as quoted by Chelsea's official website: "He deserves it. He works hard. I felt a little bit for him when the first goal got taken away, and you wonder if it's going to happen, but he deserves it.
"He's very important for us especially when he scores our goals.
"At the moment we're fighting, we're scraping points, and sometimes you need that.
"We prepare well game to game, it's a little bit mentally draining, but we recover as quickly as possible. Everyone has their heads on right.
"We are still in every tournament possible so there are a lot of games. I think we're doing a good job."
Only Mason Mount (2.51) and Ross Barkley (3.57), who has played just 428 minutes across all competitions, have created more chances per 90 minutes than Ziyech (2.41) for Chelsea this season.
Likewise, Ziyech finds the back of the net 0.35 times per 90 minutes, with Romelu Lukaku (0.45) and Timo Werner (0.46) the only Blues team-mates ranking above him in that metric.
The same pair, Werner (194.3) and Lukaku (198.1), sit above Ziyech for minutes per goal across all competitions, with the 28-year-old scoring every 256 minutes.
Thomas Tuchel will be hoping his versatile winger carries his impressive run of form into the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash with Lille on Tuesday.
Cristiano Ronaldo's appearance in Manchester United's trip to Elland Road to face Leeds United saw the Portuguese legend record yet another entry into the Premier League record books.
In taking to the field on Sunday, the 37-year-old faced off against Leeds for the first time since October 18, 2003, marking the longest gap between a player's appearances against a specific opponent in the competition's history (18 years and 125 days).
Ronaldo was actually booked for diving on his first appearance at Elland Road, which came just two months into his first spell with the Red Devils, although Alex Ferguson's team stole a late 1-0 win on that day thanks to captain Roy Keane's header.
Ronaldo's goal in United's 2-0 win Brighton and Hove Albion last time out meant he has now scored against 168 different club and international sides during his glittering career, as the forward turns his attention to firing the Old Trafford club to Champions League qualification amid a frustrating campaign.
While Norway and Germany rounded off a golden Winter Olympics in style, Sunday's final day of competition marked the end of a disappointing Games for a traditional power.
Therese Johaug capped off a brilliant individual campaign, and her Olympic career, in Beijing as she claimed a third gold of the Games in cross-country skiing, prevailing in the women's 30km mass start on Sunday.
Already guaranteed top spot in the medal table, that win took Norway's total of golds to 16, four in front of Germany. It is the second successive games in which Norway has finished top of the pile.
A Games that has seen Germany dominate the sliding events was fittingly capped with a German victory in the four-man bobsleigh.
Francesco Friedrich piloted Germany to a 12th and final gold while Johannes Lochner finished second behind his team-mate.
Canada took bronze, with 14 of the country's 26 medals at these Games being of that variety.
A total of four golds is Canada's lowest since the 1994 Games in Lillehammer (three) and, ending the final day in 11th, the 2022 Olympics marked the first in which the North American nation has finished outside the top 10 in the medal table since its home games in Calgary in 1988, when it did not win a single gold.
Great Britain did not win a medal of any colour at that Games, but a late rush in curling ensured the Brits avoided that fate in Beijing.
A 10-3 victory over Japan in the final on Sunday meant the women won gold a day after the men's team had to settle for silver. Team GB finished 19th in the table.
Medal table:
1. Norway (G16 S8 B13, Total: 37)
2. Germany (G12 S10 B5, Total: 27)
3. China (G9 S4 B2, Total: 15)
4. United States (G8 S10 B7, Total: 25)
5. Sweden (G8 S5 B5, Total: 18)
6. Netherlands (G8 S5 B4, Total: 17)
7. Austria (G7 S7 B4, Total: 18)
8. Switzerland (G7 S2 B5, Total: 14)
9. Russian Olympic Committee (G6 S12 B14, Total: 32)
10. France (G5 S7 B2, Total: 14)
Finland took their first gold medal in men's ice hockey as they claimed a 2-1 win over the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) in Sunday's final.
It was the 109th and final gold medal handed out at the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Finland finished 16th in the medal standings, with eight in total.
Here are the key numbers around their historic victory.
1 - This was the first gold medal for Finland in any team sport at either the summer or winter Games. They debuted in men's ice hockey in 1952.
2 - It brought up Finland's second gold at the Beijing Games, after cross-country skier Iivo Niskanen won the men's 15km classic.
4 - This is the fourth medal for Finland under the tutelage of Jukka Jalonen. They won gold in the world championships in 2011 and 2019 and Olympic bronze in 2010.
7 - Sakari Manninen and Teemu Hartikainen had seven points each in the Olympics, leading the overall scoring of the men's tournament along with Juraj Slafkovsky of Slovakia and Canada's Adam Tambellini.
37 - Captain Valtteri Filppula, at 37 years and 337 days old, is the oldest gold medallist for Finland at the Winter Games since cross-country skier Veikko Hakulinen in 1960.
16 - This was the first time in 16 years that neither Canada or the United States had progressed to the men's semi-finals.
Norway's Therese Johaug capped off a brilliant individual campaign, and her Olympic career, in Beijing as she claimed a third gold of the Games in cross-country skiing.
Johaug, who missed the 2018 Games due to a doping ban, won the very first gold medal in Beijing and rounded off the cross-country skiing events with a victory in the women's 30km mass start on Sunday.
It took Norway's gold medal total to 16, four in front of second-best Germany.
Johaug had already suggested she would be retiring before the next Olympics, in 2026 in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, and the 33-year-old is set to go out on top.
"It is a dream come true that I can stand here for Norway with three gold medals in the same Olympics," she said. "I was so, so happy 14 days ago when I got my first one, and I cannot believe I have more. It's fantastic to end my Olympic career with these three gold medals."
Jessie Diggins took silver, becoming the first American woman to win a distance medal in cross-country skiing, despite having struggled with food poisoning this week.
Diggins said: "That might have been the best race of my entire life, I'm not going to lie. It was also maybe the hardest race of my whole life."
Kerttu Niskanen took bronze to secure her second medal of the Games.
Great Britain break their duck
Great Britain finally claimed their first gold of the Games, as Eve Muirhead led her women's curling team to a 10-3 thrashing of Japan.
It followed on from the men's team taking silver on Saturday. The gold was Team GB's first in curling in 20 years.
"It's a dream come true," Muirhead, told BBC Sport. "That was my third semi-final, and the two I lost were hard but I bounced back and here we are. We are Olympic champions. It's such a special moment."
Finland end 70-year wait
Finland won their first Olympic gold in men's ice hockey, as they defeated the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) 2-1.
It took Finland 70 years to win gold. They had previously clinched bronze in 1994, 1998, 2010 and 2014, and silver in 1988 and 2006.
The victory earned a presidential seal of approval, too.
"I heard our president is going to call me and I would like to talk to him," said coach Jukka Jalonen.
Dominant Germany claim three more medals
It has been a brilliant Games for Germany, who have taken seven bobsleigh medals, adding to six golds and three silvers won in skeleton and luge. They have dominated on the tracks.
Francesco Friedrich steered Germany to a 12th and final gold, in the four-man event on Saturday, while Johannes Lochner finished second behind his team-mate.
Pilot Friedrich has now equalled compatriots Kevin Kuske and Andre Lange as the bobsleigh athletes with the most titles, with four gold medals each.
"We hope it goes on," he said. "Our goal is to make four more years. We want to make the Olympics with all our friends, our sponsors in Cortina. It's near Germany, so maybe we can make one or two buses for all our families and friends and sponsors to finish our careers together."
Germany also had a silver to celebrate in alpine skiing. They finished behind Austria and ahead of Norway in the mixed team parallel big final.
Bruce Arians is not expecting Tom Brady to reverse his decision to retire from the NFL.
Brady called time on a stunning 22-season career in the league last month following the end of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' title defence.
The only player to win seven Super Bowl titles, Brady has nothing left to prove, but has not ruled out a return to the sport he has dominated.
"I'm just going to take things as they come," Brady recently told Jim Gray on the "Let's Go!" podcast. "I think that's the best way to put it, and you never say never.
"At the same time, I feel very good about my decision. I don't know how I'll feel six months from now."
The Buccaneers still own Brady's rights, so a decision to come out of retirement would mean they would need to trade or release him if he did not wish to play for the team he joined after 20 seasons with the New England Patriots.
Head coach Arians, though, is not anticipating such a scenario, telling the Tampa Bay Times: "That would shock me [Brady playing in 2022].
"And he let us know in time to do the free agency like we've done in the past, that's why I don't see it happening."
Arians also rejected claims from former NFL player Rich Ohrnberger that his relationship with Brady deteriorated last year, taking particular issue with the detail that Arians would remove things from a gameplan put together by Brady and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich while the head coach rehabbed his Achilles in the morning.
"It seems like there's one [story] every day now,’" Arians added. "Everybody is speculating he's going somewhere else.
"That don't bother me. This other b*******, the relationship thing, that's so far-fetched.
"I mean, that's such b*******. That's what pisses me off. I guess probably Byron could corroborate this, too
"First of all, I don't rehab my Achilles in the morning. I will go over the gameplans and add things, but I don't delete anything. I don't have to because they do such a good job.
"I'll see some things. Add some things. It's an awesome collaboration, one of the best I've ever been around."
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