Barcelona superstar Neymar says he will be fulfilling a childhood dream by playing in Saturday's Champions League final against Juventus in Berlin.
Neymar, 23, is playing in his debut Champions League decider in his second season in Europe, having already secured two trophies this season -- the Copa del Rey and La Liga in Spain.
The Brazilian, who has won a Confederations Cup medal and played in a World Cup semifinal on home soil for his country, told the pregame news conference that playing in the CL decider was going to be the biggest occasion of his career to date.
"For me to play in this final is a dream, since I was a kid, of six or seven years old," he said. "Now the moment has come.
"So tomorrow I must do everything tomorrow to come out the winner, with my team. I want to live this dream, which is to win the Champions League.
"This is such a big final, this is the best moment of my career. I hope I can score a goal to help the team. But a goal from Gerard [Pique] would be fine, and winning 1-0. The important is to come out the winner."
Neymar has formed a key part of Barca's all-South American front three this season, with he and fellow attackers Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez scoring a record 120 goals between them in all competitions.
Neymar has imagined himself in a Champions League final since he was a kid.
Asked what had made the trio click so well on the pitch, he said their off-field chemistry had been a big help.
"Leo and Luis are two players of a great level, with a lot of quality," Neymar said. "The main thing is our friendship, on and off the pitch.
"That is why we get on so well together. I hope tomorrow to end the season with them, coming out happy, after all the work we have done together, with this team, coming out as winners."
Neymar said that he had long been a fan of Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who is now 37, having first got to know the veteran Italian shot-stopper via a computer console as he was growing up.
"Buffon is a great goalkeeper in football's history," he said. "Since I was a kid I played with him on the Playstation so I am a big fan. I would be very happy to score against him."
Barca are big favourites with the bookies and most pundits for Saturday's game at Berlin's Olympiastadion, however Neymar warned that Juve had not got to this stage of the competition by chance.
"Juventus are a great team," he said. "They have not arrived in the final by luck. It will be a difficult game, for sure. It is a final, 90 minutes we have to play our own game, at the best possible. And of course we want to win a lot."
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