This archive report was first published on 16 July 2019.
Paris Saint-Germain's Brazilian star Neymar returned to training on Monday, a week after his teammates, amidst a storm of controversy surrounding his recent comments.
According to a video posted on L'Equipe's website, Neymar arrived at the club's training ground in the suburbs of Paris in a black Mercedes van, his hair dyed peroxide blonde.
On his official Twitter account, Neymar's team posted photos of him working out in a gym with the caption: "Back to training!"
PSG had begun pre-season training last Monday, but Neymar was not present, citing a prior agreement to stay away.
The French champions had threatened to take "appropriate action" against Neymar, who had claimed he stayed in Brazil to attend a charity five-a-side football tournament run by his foundation, the Neymar Institute.
On Saturday, Neymar sparked outrage on social media with a series of remarks that strained his relationship with the club.
When asked about his best memory in football, Neymar cited Barcelona's 2017 Champions League victory over PSG, where he was part of the team that overturned a 4-0 first-leg deficit.
Earlier in the day, Neymar posted a 10-second video of himself in a Barcelona shirt and a quote from the Bible: "No weapon turned against you will prosper."
Neymar's father defended his son in an Instagram post, saying he had not shown a lack of respect to PSG or the players who played in that game in 2017.
"My son plays for PSG, but he can't simply ignore his past. A past that led to him arriving at the French club," Neymar Senior added.
PSG's new sporting director Leonardo opened the door to Neymar leaving the club "if there is an offer that suits everyone".
However, the chances of Neymar returning to Barcelona, where he previously starred for four years, were dealt a blow with the completion of Antoine Griezmann's transfer to the Camp Nou from Atletico Madrid.
