Paris Saint-Germain returned home Sunday to fierce boos, jeers and whistles after again turning itself into a global laughingstock with a preposterous 29-minute Champions League collapse against Real Madrid last Wednesday.
With one surging run, Luka Modrić flipped the Real Madrid-PSG matchup on its head. With one nutmeg assist from the diminutive Croatian, the best team in the history of Europe once again showed its dominance in the Champions League. And PSG, despite its unreal attacking talent, is once again exiting the Champions League early.
Paris St. Germain and Brazil forward Neymar would like to play in the United States-based Major League Soccer for at least a season before he calls time on his career.
Neymar, who is under contract at PSG until June 2025, said he was more likely to play in the U.S. than return to his home country.
"I don't know if I'll play in Brazil again," the 30-year-old said on the Fenomenos podcast. "I have some doubts about that.
"I'd love to play in the U.S. actually. I'd love to play there at least for a season.
Paris Saint-Germain’s penalty kick woes continued Saturday during the team’s 3-1 loss to Nantes in Ligue 1. Lionel Messi saw his penalty kick against Real Madrid in the Champions League saved on Tuesday. Four days later Neymar has topped Messi’s penalty fail with one of his own. This Neymar penalty vs Nantes is about as dismal as they come.
The Kylian Mbappé to Real Madrid transfer saga has already taken turns that are without precedent, but after the 23-year-old again showcased why he's already the most electrifying footballer on the planet during PSG's 1-0 win over Real on Tuesday, another twist was reported by The Independent
The Chicago Fire have signed Switzerland winger Xherdan Shaqiri from Olympique Lyonnais on a contract until 2024, the Major League Soccer (MLS) club announced on Wednesday, bringing a swift end to his time with the French side.
Shaqiri only joined Lyon from Liverpool in August to strengthen the Ligue 1 side's attacking options but scored just twice in 16 appearances in all competitions.
There aren't many symbols in the footballing world that indicate "it's business time" quite like Marta's red lipstick or Cristiano Ronaldo's noodle hair, but Lionel Messi taking out the gold cleats is quickly getting there.
Every league has that one team that isn't really all that good but just seems to hang around for far longer than they should. They don't spend much, they don't play entertaining football, and they never really win any big games. Yet when the season ends, they are always mid-table.
In the 2010s, that team in England was Wigan Athletic, as Roberto Martínez's brand of "Guerilla Soccer" kept an underfunded Latics side in the Premier League for eight years.
Manchester United returned to the top of the table on Monday but not the one they were hoping for as they were named the club with the biggest transfer losses in the last decade, splashing out more than $1.14 billion on players.
A study published by Switzerland-based independent research group CIES Football Observatory revealed United had a net spend of $1.23 billion since 2012, spending $1.77 billion on transfers while making $538 million back in player sales.
Warning: Spoilers Ahead (Brazil doesn't win the 2014 World Cup)
"He's in constant chaos, you know? He often creates it," says Dani Alves with a laugh during the opening of Neymar's new Netflix documentary. "He seems to enjoy that perfect chaos."
And with that we not only have the basis of the title — Neymar: The Perfect Chaos — but a good synopsis of the polarizing footballer who delights in the roles of entertainer, savior, clown, antihero and villain without ever really knowing, or caring, which mask he's going to don on any given day.