NEYMAR has fled Paris and headed to Brazil to self-isolate amid the coronavirus outbreak, according to reports.
The 28-year-old jetted back to his homeland alongside Paris Saint-Germain teammate and fellow Brazilian international Thiago Silva.
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Neymar has "exiled himself" in Brazil as the deadly pandemic spreads across Europe, according to ESPN and French newspaper Le Parisien.
The outbreak has caused almost all major football on the continent to be suspended with France's Ligue 1 on hold indefinitely.
Neymar is said to have left earlier this week – just before the country went into lockdown – in the face of the "anxiety-inducing" situation brought on by Covid-19.
PSG captain Silva, 35, is also said to have flown back to his native Brazil on Tuesday.
The French champions reportedly gave permission for their players to self-isolate where they like.
Silva has been spotted in Brazil since making the journey.
And his wife Isabelle Silva, 33, recently posted on her social media and said: “The virus is everywhere.
“My husband is waiting on a notice to start working again.
"We are sad about all this right now but we believe that all this will pass soon.”
Neymar also posted on Instagram three days ago encouraging people to follow official recomendations alongside a picture that said: "The virus doesn't move around, people do."
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Dutch defender Mitchel Bakker, 19, who has played for PSG since last year, also reportedly returned to the Netherlands to weather the pandemic.
But PSG's third Brazilian international Marquinhos is said to have opted against a return to his homeland and stayed put in the French capital.
French President Emmanuel Macron, 42, issued a statement earlier this week announcing France will “severely restrict movements” on the streets as “we are at war” with the virus.
France is one of the countries hardest hit by coronavirus with 9,134 cases and 264 deaths.
Brazil on the other hand has had 529 cases and four deaths.
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Oi meu povo, queria fazer um apelo, sejam responsáveis e quebrem a cadeia de contágio ?❌ Artes by equipe @belle_silva e vídeo by @juan_delcan • • • ?? Soyez responsables et rompez la chaîne depropagation de ce virus#CoronaOut #stopcorona #covid19 #stopcovid#stopcovid19 #COVID_19 #BelleSilva #FamiliaSilva #coronavírus #coronavírusbrasil #coronavirusfrance #restecheztoi #jesuischezmoi #restezchezvous #fiqueemcasa #fiquememcasa
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