Neymar Injured On Birthday Yet Again, Misses Nantes Match

Neymar Jr has been left out of the Paris Saint-Germain squad for Tuesday’s match against Nantes after picking up a rib injury, just two days after he had held an elaborate party to celebrate his birthday.

The party, which took place at a Parisian nightclub, was attended by a number of Neymar’s team-mates including Marco Verratti, Edinson Cavani, and Angel Di Maria.

Neymar is known for throwing huge celebrations to mark personal milestones. In 2019, 500 people were invited to an event sponsored by Red Bull, while Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton and the president of Brazil were among the guests to celebrate his 26th birthday two years ago.

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The former Barcelona forward has now been injured on his birthday every year since joining PSG, having suffered foot injuries in 2018 and 2019 that kept him out for several weeks.

PSG boss Thomas Tuchel had earlier frowned upon the decision of the Brazilian to hold a party, branding it a “distraction” given it was sandwiched between two league matches.

However, the German insisted his team selection for the Nantes game would not be influenced by the party.

"I always protect my players, and I really love my team. With this party, I accept that it is a bit difficult to protect the players, but the context is not simply black or white,"  he told a news conference. "Is it the best way to prepare for a match? No, clearly not. Is it the worst thing in the world? No.

"It is a shame because we are giving people the chance to speak badly of us. We need to adapt to the situation, but I am not going to leave a player on the bench or at home because they went out and celebrated.”