The Brazilian superstar was stretchered off in tears after being on the receiving end of a horror challenge from his fellow countryman.

Mendes later took to Instagram to apologise to Neymar after his shocking tackle, saying: “Like the Brazilian people, I also admire his football and I hope that nothing serious has happened. May he recover quickly and bring joy to the fan. Here again, is my sincere apologies”

Following reports that Neymar could be sidelined for some time with an ankle injury, Mendes and his family were subjected to vitriolic abuse and death threats from fans of both PSG and the Brazil international online.

Mendes’ wife, Kelly confirmed to CNEWS that they have called in police to help assist with the threats.  She also recited some of the abuse that she and her partner have received.

Lucas Modric  won the 2018 award following his impressive run at the FIFA 2018 World Cup and Real Madrid’s Champions League win but his omission this year makes him the first player in history to miss out on nomination the following year after winning it. PSG and Brazil star Neymar Jr. also did not make the list

Below are the nominated players for the 2019 Ballon D’or award.
Sadio Mane – Liverpool
Sergio Aguero – Manchester City
Frenkie de Jong – Ajax/ Barcelona
Hugo Lloris – Tottenham
Dusan Tadic – Ajax
Kylian Mbappe – PSG
Trent Alexander-Arnold – Liverpool
Donny van de Beek – Ajax
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – Arsenal
Marc-Andre Ter-Stegen – Barcelona
Cristiano Ronaldo – Juventus
Alisson – Liverpool
Matthijs de Ligt – Juventus
Karim Benzema – Real Madrid
Georginio Wijnaldum – Liverpool
Virgil van Dijk – Liverpool
Bernardo Silva – Manchester City
Heung-min Son – Tottenham Hotspur
Robert Lewandowski – Bayern Munich
Roberto Firmino – Liverpool
Lionel Messi – Argentina/Barcelona

Ronaldo is the highest followed footballer with 173m followers and can command an astronomical amount from just a single post.

Embattled PSG star, Neymar comes second spot, cashing-in £580,000 per post, while Barcelona Lionel Messi earns £521,000 per post.

See the full list below

Neymar, who left Barcelona to join PSG for a world record fee of 222 million euros in August 2017, could make a surprise move back to Barca this summer.

Tebas said “In my opinion if Neymar behaves better, he can be a great player, but I think behaviour and the values that we set as a competition are also very important. I prefer another type of player. Neymar is a great player , but if the example off the pitch is not correct, then to be honest I’d prefer him not to come to the Spanish league.”

The Brazilian arrived at the police station wearing a black suit and on crutches because of an injury to his right ankle. Investigator Juliana Bussacos met Neymar amid a media frenzy as a crowd of fans cheered the 27-year-old.

Neymar denies any wrongdoing and was accompanied by his lawyers to the meeting. The player posted a seven-minute video to Instagram on Sunday in which he denied the accusation and insisted it was a set-up.

The player is also being investigated in Rio de Janeiro for publishing images of his accuser on social media without her authorisation.

Juventus and Portugal striker Ronaldo earned $109m (£85.6m), with Paris Saint-Germain’s Neymar third with $105m (£82.5m). Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez is fourth on the list with $94m (£73.8m), while Roger Federer was in fifth position on $93.4m (£73.3m).

Serena Williams is the only female athlete on the list.

According to a Brazilian publication, UOL Sport, Neymar had held a conversation with the woman through the social media platform Instagram and, through a friend, arranged for her to travel to Paris.

It is said that Neymar arrived drunk at her hotel, the Sofitel Paris Arc de Triomphe, on May 15 before becoming aggressive and violent and then raping her. The woman claimed she was left shaken by the experience and returned to Brazil on May 17. Her complaint is reported to have been filed last Friday in Sao Paulo.

She told police that Neymar arrived at the hotel that night ‘apparently drunk,’ and that they talked and ‘caressed’. ‘However, at some point, Neymar became aggressive, and through violence, practiced sexual intercourse against the will of the victim,’ the police report says.

In a statement released on Monday, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) said: “Daniel Alves will be captain of the Brazilian national team in the friendly matches against Qatar and Honduras and in Copa America Brazil 2019. The decision was communicated to Neymar by Tite on Saturday.”

Brazil coach Tite had named Neymar as permanent captain a few months after Brazil’s World Cup quarter-final exit at the hands of Belgium last year, but has been under pressure to replace the 27-year-old due to his disciplinary issues.

The Brazilian forward was involved in an altercation with the fan as he ascended the stairs at the Stade de France to collect his runners-up medal.

The ban which was given to Neymar by the FFF’s disciplinary committee will come into effect on May 13.