Neymar was playing online poker halfway across the world when Paris St Germain were celebrating their Ligue 1 title triumph.
PSG regained French football’s domestic crown by thrashing closest rivals and reigning champions Monaco 7-1 in Paris on Sunday night.
Neymar’s Instagram story showed he was at home in Brazil playing online poker when Paris St Germain regained their Ligue 1 title.
PSG stars including Thiago Silva, Dani Alves and Kevin Trapp all posted images of their post-match celebrations on social media, but Neymar’s own post revealed he was back home in Sao Paolo.
The Brazilian superstar is recovering after undergoing surgery in March to repair a fractured bone in his foot and chose not to join his team-mates for the title-deciding match.
Team-mate Marco Verratti is also sidelined through injury, but he was at Parc des Princes to share in the celebrations and Neymar’s absence will fuel speculation that he has not fully settled in Paris following his world record £200million move from Barcelona last summer.
Neymar is hoping to recover in time for this summer’s World Cup finals in Russia, but it remains to be seen if he will be fully fit for Brazil’s first group match against Switzerland on June 17.
The forward scored 28 goals in a total of 30 appearances this season for PSG before sustaining his season-ending injury at the end of February, while speculation is mounting over a possible move to Real Madrid.
PSG clinched the Ligue 1 title for the fifth time in six years after their thrashing of Monaco gave the Qatari-owned club an unassailable 17-point lead at the top of the table.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here