Neymar (foto: Uradni Twitter profil kluba/zveze)
Glamorous swimming star Luana Alonso has revealed that Brazilian footballer Neymar is a fan, sparking a wave of curiosity and controversy.
The Paraguayan athlete, who was allegedly kicked out of the Olympic village, recently disclosed that the renowned Brazilian attacking midfielder slid into her DMs on Instagram.
Speaking to Paraguayan radio show Aire de Todos, Alonso stated, "He sent me a DM. That's all I can say." The revelation shocked the presenters, who pressed the Olympic athlete to reveal the contents of the message. She added, "It was left on the request form. I cannot tell this here."
Alonso has previously declared that she is a fan of Neymar. In 2022, the Paraguayan swimmer shared that the footballer had reacted to one of her photographs on social media, further cementing their unexpected connection.
The glamorous swimming sensation recently made headlines at the Paris Olympic games after a row over her "inappropriate behaviour." Alonso insisted she is a victim of "lies" after it was reported that she was banished from the Paris 2024 Athletes' Village over her behaviour and visiting Disneyland.
It was claimed Alonso was "distracting" fellow competitors in the Athletes' Village and was wearing racy outfits rather than her official Olympic uniform. Bosses at the Paraguayan Olympic Committee were left furious over Alonso's behaviour, with reports suggesting they booted her out and sent her back home.
A statement from chief Larissa Schaerer read, "Her presence is creating an inappropriate atmosphere within Team Paraguay. We thank her for proceeding as instructed, as it was of her own free will that she did not spend the night in the Athletes' Village."
However, Alonso countered these claims, stating she was never kicked out or expelled from the country's Olympic campaign. In a social media post, she clarified, "I just wanted to clarify that I was never kicked out or expelled from anywhere, please stop spreading false information."
Currently living in the US, Alonso attends the Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and is a swimmer for the local team Dallas Mustangs. After narrowly missing out on progressing past the women's 100m butterfly heats in the Summer Games by a mere 0.24 seconds, Alonso announced her retirement from competitive swimming.