体坛英语新闻：Neymar foresees hard fouls in Europe

RIO DE JANEIRO, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Giving hints about his future career, 20-year-old Santos striker Neymar described a future scenario in one of the prestigious soccer leagues in Europe.

The player foresees a career littered by hard fouls in Europe. He is the constant target of every team's top defenders, and rightfully so. The skilled striker has already collected four hat-tricks in 2012.

Santos head coach Muricy Ramalho defended Neymar, stating that the player was purposely sought out by defenders with the intention to injure him. However, Neymar refuted Ramalho's statements, describing that his opponents were not "violent," but rather they were rough in order not to become his next victim of a spectacular dribble or goal.

Neymar said that it would be inevitable to avoid hard and violent fouls when playing in Europe. He cited players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi who are also "hunted" on the field by the opposition.

The striker returned to reaffirm his permanence with Santos until June 2014. He is expected to leave Brazil to play in Europe after the 2014 World Cup. Barcelona and Real Madrid continue to compete for his attention and are likely to be the top runners to receive the striker in just over two years time.