Barcelona welcome Neymar with romp over Santos
New manager fields strongest team as Spanish giants prove too strong for outclassed Brazilians
Brazilian international Neymar and new manager Gerardo Martino got their first taste of the Camp Nou as Barcelona destroyed Santos 8-0.
The Brazilians were confirmed for the annual glamour friendly as part of the transfer agreement that saw Neymar move to the Catalan giants in June.
However, they were hopelessly exposed by a strong Barca side as two goals from Cesc Fabregas, allied to further strikes from Lionel Messi, Alexis Sanchez, Pedro, Adriano, Jean Marie Dongou and an own-goal from Leo made for a good evening for the hosts.
The biggest cheer of the night was reserved for Neymar, 21, when he made his bow at half time and he made a positive impression despite failing to get on the score sheet as he teed up Fabregas' second and Barca's sixth of the night 20 minutes from time.
"I am not too worried about not scoring," Neymar told Catalan TV station TV3. "It is just great to be here playing for Barcelona and to play with players like Xavi, Cesc and Messi."
Martino, who has succeeded cancer-stricken Tito Vilanova, named a strong side on his own first home outing as the club's new boss with the likes of Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Serio Busquets and Dani Alves starting for the first time in pre-season following their participation in the Confederations Cup.