'It would be an honour to play on the same pitch as David Beckham' - Brazil striker Neymar

Brazil striker Neymar would be honoured to play on the same pitch as David Beckham in the Olympics this year.

The Santos forward met the former England captain at a MLS game last year and revealed it would be a pleasure to play against him if the former Manchester United midfielder were to take part.

He said: “It would be a pleasure to play against David Beckham. Fortunately I had the chance to meet him last year, he was very kind and it would be an honour to play on the same pitch as him this year in London.”

The 19-year-old is eagerly anticipating the start of the tournament and is targeting a first gold medal for Brazil in the football section of the competition.

He added: “This is a dream of mine, I am waiting to play in London and looking forward to it. ­Brazil have never won the gold and this is a chance for us to bring it back. It's very important to everyone here.”

Neymar also believes European countries don’t pay enough respect to football in the Olympics, particularly in England where teams buy talent from other nations.

The Santos star feels the Olympics provides an excellent opportunity for young players to develop and this is why teams such as Brazil and Argentina are so successful.  

He concluded: “People in Europe do not think Olympic football is important because it is less crucial for them to develop young players. If you take a top ­English team, they will have just a few English players.

“Because European teams can buy so many players from outside, young players are not so important. In Brazil, we need to develop our youngsters and this is why the Olympic team is more important for us.”

Tickets for the London 2012 Olympic Football Tournament are currently on sale until the 6^th February with any remaining tickets being made available in April. For your chance to buy tickets to watch Team GB log on to www.tickets.london2012.com