'It's a foul!' - Neymar takes part in diving challenge

Neymar has taken part in the Neymar Challenge to make fun of his fondness for diving during the World Cup in Russia.

The Brazilian striker took part in the viral phenomenon when he met a group of children who all played along with him.

Neymar made a name for himself on the wider world with his predilection for diving and feigning injury on the football pitch, and harmed how he is perceived.

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Gifs and videos were made mocking Neymar, with one showing France’s World Cup winner Paul Pogba kicking his writhing body along the floor as he raced across a football pitch.

This gave rise to the game of the Neymar Challenge, in which competitors have to fall as dramatically as possible in as public a place as possible, with many of the attempts posted to social media, particularly at football games for children.

Neymar has not been slighted by the antics, though, and took part with some children in his own attempt. He shouts, ‘it’s a foul,’ leading the children to throw themselves to the floor in exaggerated pain.

The 26-year-old explained at an auction for the Neymar Jr institute that he took the mocking in good humour, saying: ‘I was joking (in the social media video).

‘Since everybody is hopping on the bandwagon, I take it as a joke. I am not upset, It was just a moment I was with the kids and I decided to do it.’

Neymar will return to action for Paris Saint-Germain after he ruled out a move back to Spain with Real Madrid. He left Barcelona for a world record £220m last summer, and has repeatedly been linked with a return to Spain.