Neymar Jr

This week has been, to put it mildly, a shitshow. From the U.S. presidential debate in which the incumbent was incapable of following simple rules of decorum to that same candidate contracting Covid-19 after flouting simple mask regulations, it’s probably a sign of things to come just two days into October.

So how about a brief reprieve from the crazy, replaced with some crazy good football? How about some highlights of Kylian Mbappé and Neymar doing mean things to PSG’s poor opponent in Ligue 1?

Three Paris Saint-Germain players have tested positive for COVID-19, the Ligue 1 club said on Wednesday.

The club declined to comment when contacted by Reuters about the identity of the players but French sports daily L'Equipe reported Neymar, Angel Di Maria and Leandro Paredes tested positive after returning from Ibiza.

Tyler Adams was given 27 minutes to rescue RB Leipzig. Brought on by Julian Nagelsmann in the 63rd minute, his side already trailing by three goals, the New Yorker was hoping to make an immediate impact.

His initial contribution, however, was to play horsey-ride with PSG megastar Neymar.

With the halftime whistle approaching and PSG nursing a slender 1-0 lead over RB Leipzig despite a dominant opening 45 that included seven shots and 70 percent possession, a horrible turnover from Péter Gulácsi presented the Parisian side with a chance to double its advantage. 

The Leipzig keeper’s pass initially went straight to Leandro Paredes, who rifled a ball at Neymar just inside the area. For the normal footballer there’s not a lot that can be done with Paredes’ pass, but Neymar is not a normal footballer.

We admit, it’s easy to shit on Neymar; he’s the opposite of the hard-nosed player fawned over by traditional English media. 

He dances, he taunts, he teases, he flaunts. But on Wednesday, he also inspired.

With the 2019-20 Ligue 1 season cancelled and PSG declared champion for the seventh time in eight years, the club has turned to friendlies to stay sharp with participation in the Coupe de France final (July 24 vs. Saint-Étienne), Coupe de la Ligue final (July 31 vs. Lyon) and Champions League quarterfinals (Aug. 12 vs. Atalanta) still to come.

Paris St Germain's Neymar and Liverpool's Alisson are among the Brazilian players and coaches who have joined forces with the country's football federation (CBF) to donate almost a million dollars to families facing economic hardship due the new COVID-19 pandemic.

The group of 57 players and staff, also including former Barcelona right back Daniel Alves, donated 2.5 million reais ($463,787) while the CBF met their contribution, according to the organisation.