Neymar reported by his neighbors for partying too loud
As Paris Saint-Germain striker Neymar was preparing for a crucial Champions League game against Bayern Munich, he was making headlines for all the wrong reasons. His alleged penchant for hosting loud, late night parties in Bougival, west of Paris has seeming to caught up to him.
A neighbor of the Brazilian star spoke of parties "until 5 or 6 in the morning" when asked by 'RMC' radio. "The last party before this one was after the Brazil-Tunisia game at Parc des Princes where at 11pm the whole Brazil national team arrived at Neymar's. And there was party in the middle of the week until 6am," he added.
The mayor of Bougival, Luc Wattelle, also labeled Neymar as a "disrespectful individual" to 'Le Parisien' and lamented that a mere €135 (US$144) fine would not be a deterrent for a person with such a high income.
Footballers with extraordinary talent for some, capricious diva with disappointing performances for others. Who is Neymar Jr? In this portrait we try to give an answer in pictures.
Born in Brazil in 1992, Neymar was surrounded by the world of football from an early age. Street football and futsal, two typically Brazilian variants of the world's most popular sport, were his passions.
Trained at FC Santos, the club in the city where his family settled in 2003, Neymar turned professional in 2009 with the team that also saw other Brazilian legends such as Pelé and Robinho start their careers.
Impressed by his technique, sweeping dribbling and scoring instincts, the public wondered if Neymar was the new Pelé – the Brazilian footballing hero with three World Cups titles to his name.
Neymar enjoyed four impressive first seasons for Santos and won numerous club titles. On his debut in 2013 in the prestigious Brazilian Seleçao, the latter brought the Confederations Cup to Brazil.
That same year, the Brazilian prodigy landed in Europe, and not with just any club, but with Lionel Messi's Barça – multiple Spanish and European champions. When his Argentinian team-mate was injured in November, Neymar took over the Blaugrana's attack.
Brazil have dreamed of winning a sixth World Cup since their last title in 2002 and hosting the World Cup on home soil in 2014 seemed like the perfect opportunity. After a very convincing start to the tournament (scoring 4 goals), Neymar was injured in the quarter-finals against Colombia and watched helplessly as his team was beaten by Germany (7-1) in the next round.
During the 2014 break, Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez, who had triumphed with Liverpool the previous season, joined FC Barcelona. The Blaugrana thus had a new and feared attacking trio, the 'MSN', consisting of Messi, Suarez and Neymar.
The three South Americans got along wonderfully on the field and had a brilliant 2014/2015 season. As the Spanish champions reclaimed the title from Atlético Madrid, Barcelona managed the treble by winning the King's Cup and, importantly, another Champions League. In the final, the team defeated Juventus 3-1, with Neymar scoring in the closing stages.
Behind the untouchable duo of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar then became a world football superstar at just 23 years old. He also finished third at the 2015 Ballon d'Or behind the Argentine and the Portuguese.
After winning another league in 2016, the team found themselves in a slump in form the following season. However, after losing 4-0 in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 against PSG, the Catalan side pull off the impossible: an incredible 'remontada' with a 6-1 win, three goals scored in the final minutes. With two goals and one assist, it was Neymar and not Messi was that can take most of the credit for this.
Disappointed at having to remain in the shadow of the Argentina No. 10 despite his growing influence on the FC Barcelona game, Neymar joined PSG in the summer of 2017 for a record-breaking €222m. The change was preceded by an intense media duel between the two clubs.
But Neymar hasn't lived up to all the promises made into him. He's been injured a lot and has missed an average of every other league game since arriving at PSG, while his club endure disappointment after disappointment in the Champions League.
The mutual disappointment between player and club inevitably fueled the desire to leave. Neymar had expressed his desire to return to Barça, in the mid-season of 2019.
Neymar Jr.'s father is regularly cited in the media as the one who works behind the scenes and negotiates with clubs on behalf of his son. Neymar senior, a former soccer player himself, is the Brazil international's appointed agent.
Besides his father, Neymar seems particularly close to his sister Rafaella, whose birthday he never misses in Brazil. In fact, he conicidently or conveniently is always injured around this time, meaning he is free to travel for the big occasion. Their relationship is often covered in the media and on social media.
Since arriving at PSG, Neymar has worked alongside other talented strikers with whom there is also some rivalry. First, the club's old gun Edinson Cavani in his first seasons, then Kylian Mbappé, who is improving year after year, and finally Lionel Messi, who joined PSG in 2021.
In 2022, PSG suffered another disappointment in the Champions League round of 16, this time against Real Madrid, eventual winners of the competition. One disappointment too many for Neymar?
A practicing Christian, the footballer controversially supported former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro in the 2022 Brazilian presidential election.
Neymar is currently in his sixth season at Paris Saint-Germain. What does the sporting future hold for the player whose role at the club seems blocked by Mbappé's growing leadership and Messi's aura and who is still yet to win a World Cup with Brazil? In the coming months we will learn more about the intentions of the 31-year-old professional footballer.