For keen followers of the world’s game, Feb. 5 is something of a holiday. A startling number of legendary players were born on that day, from Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez to Gheorghe Hagi and the inimitable Neymar.
But this year, Feb. 5 will come with a bit less fanfare, a bit less pomp and revelry.
This year, Neymar won’t be having an exorbitantly extravagant party to celebrate his 28th birthday.
According to UOL, Neymar is eschewing his normal big b-day bash in 2020 to focus on maintaining his health and form to help PSG finally win a Champions League.
This is quite tragic for those who love to gawk at the lifestyles of the rich and the famous. Since he’s been in Paris, Neymar has thrown lavish birthday parties for himself.
In 2018, Neymar and dozens of his closest friends, teammates and coaches partied into the wee hours, an event that was oddly sanctioned by then-coach Unai Emery. In 2019, Neymar cried tears of frustration over his latest injury setback during an astoundingly ritzy party sponsored by Red Bull.
But not this year.
The last two years, Neymar has had a major foot injury derail his Champions League aspirations. In 2018 it was a metatarsal fracture that kept him out of the second leg of the Round-of-16 series against Real Madrid, sending PSG out. Last season Neymar missed both legs of the Round of 16 against Manchester United, which led to a shocking second-leg defeat to the Red Devils.
Neymar suffered through a hamstring injury earlier this season but has started the last seven Ligue 1 matches, scoring seven times to go with five assists. In fine form and with Borussia Dortmund waiting in the Round of 16 of the Champions League, Neymar has decided he doesn’t need a big birthday party to feel good about himself — he just needs to stay healthy.
While admittedly we’ll miss writing about what sort of shenanigans go on at Neymar’s birthday party this year, we recognize Neymar’s mature decision to focus on the field. Notably, many of the social media posts about parties from past years have been taken down. Instead of partying, Neymar is playing PUBG, winning chicken dinners with his friends.
Neymar plays PUBG like a man, not Fortnite like a kid. Photo: @neymarjr | Instagram
That said, we hope Neymar isn’t doing this just to avoid media scrutiny. Sometimes professional athletes are held to far too high of a standard. Yes, they’re paid millions, but who cares if they go out and party once in a while? After his giant gala for his 26th birthday in 2017, Neymar was back on the treadmill hours later the next morning, so it’s not like these parties are causing much harm.
We at The18 think those who want to party should party, so long as they don’t hurt anyone and can still perform their job to the best of their abilities.
Alas, this could be the final year at PSG for Neymar and/or Kylian Mbappé, so perhaps the Brazilian recognizes this as his best chance to win a Champions League title in Paris. And if that’s the case, you have to respect the wisdom of restraint.
We just wonder what Neymar will do for his sister’s birthday.
