Neymar says money wasn’t reason for his move
Neymar opened a new chapter in soccer history Friday as the game’s costliest player by fending off questions about his financial motivations as deftly as he repels opponents on the field.
Paris Saint-Germain’s $262 million recruit was sticking to the script at his presentation in the French capital.
Leaving the prestige of Barcelona for the less exalted surroundings of PSG was about seizing the chance to raise the status of an ambitious club, rather than about an annual salary reported to be $35.3 million, he said.
Posters of the forward — accompanied by the words “Welcome to Paris Neymar Jr 10” — were unveiled on Friday morning to cheers in central Paris where fans had waited hours to get their hands on jerseys emblazoned with his name from 10:30 a.m.
Host Monaco, the defending French champion, started its title defense with a 3-2 win over Toulouse after twice coming from behind.
Kamil Glik scored the winner with 20 minutes left after Jemerson and Radamel Falcao each had tied the game for Monaco.
Monaco was one of the most spectacular teams in Europe last season, scoring 107 league goals in 38 games to win the title eight points clear of Paris Saint-Germain.
Usain Bolt revved up the crowd at London’s Olympic Stadium and then coasted to victory in his first-round heat in the 100 meters in 10.07 seconds at his final world championships.
Stan Wawrinka, the 2016 U.S. Open champion, will not defend his title, pulling out of the tournament because of an injured knee.
Wawrinka said he decided to undergo a “medical intervention” and sit out the rest of 2017.
Top-seeded Simona Halep retired from her quarterfinal match at the Citi Open in Washington because of the heat, allowing Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova to advance to the semifinals.
On the men’s side, eighth-seeded Jack Sock defeated third-seeded Milos Raonic 7-5, 6-4 to reach the semifinals.