Last Updated: June 29, 2026
Over the years, PSG has featured a number of high-profile players with strong religious beliefs. Today, stars such as Achraf Hakimi and Ousmane Dembélé are among the club’s most notable Muslim players, while many of their teammates are known or believed to follow Christianity. At the same time, some members of the squad prefer to keep their personal beliefs away from the public eye, making it difficult to determine their religion with complete certainty.
As the squad evolves from season to season, the religious makeup of the team can change through transfers and new arrivals. For that reason, this list is regularly reviewed and updated to ensure it reflects the most accurate information available about the faith backgrounds of PSG’s current players.
Table of Contents
Achraf Hakimi Religion
Achraf Hakimi Mouh is a professional footballer who is a practicing Muslim. Hakimi was born on November 4, 1998, in Madrid, Spain, to Moroccan parents of Arab descent. Hakimi is widely regarded as one of the best right-backs in the world, and he has played football for Real Madrid (2017–2020), Borussia Dortmund (2018–2020), and Inter Milan (2020–2021). After progressing through Real Madrid’s youth setup, Hakimi was promoted to the first team in 2017, where he won the UEFA Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup. He later went on a two-year loan deal with German Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund in July 2018, winning the 2019 DFL-Supercup and setting a Bundesliga speed record at the time, clocked at 36.48 km/h (22.67 mph). After that, Real Madrid sold him permanently to Serie A side Inter Milan in June 2020 for a reported fee of €40 million and then joined Paris Saint-Germain on a five-year contract for an initial transfer fee of €68 million, making him one of the most expensive defenders in football history.
Hakimi’s personal achievements include being named to the CAF Team of the Year multiple times, winning the CAF Youth Player of the Year award twice, and earning a spot in the prestigious IFFHS Men’s World Team. On a collective club level, he has achieved the rare feat of winning league titles in three of Europe’s top divisions, the Serie A title with Inter Milan, multiple Ligue 1 titles with Paris Saint-Germain, and back-to-back UEFA Champions League trophies with PSG. He has also represented Morocco at various youth and senior levels, most notably anchoring their historic semi-final run at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, winning an Olympic bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and captaining the national team at the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The city of Ksar El Kebir renamed its municipal stadium to the Achraf Hakimi Stadium in January 2023 to honor his exceptional performance in leading the Atlas Lions to the semi-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Lucas Beraldo Religion
Lucas Lopes Beraldo is a Brazilian professional footballer who is a devoted Christian. In April 2026, ahead of PSG’s Champions League match against Liverpool at Anfield, Beraldo was photographed and reported carrying his bible into the stadium. Lucas Beraldo plays the positions of center-back or defensive midfielder for PSG as well as for the Brazil national team. He began his senior career with the Brazilian club São Paulo during the 2022–23 season. When he signed with PSG in January 2024, Beraldo entered into a five-year contract.
Lucas Beraldo debuted for the Brazil senior national team on 23 March 2024 against England. He played the full 90 minutes at Wembley Stadium, helping Brazil secure a 1–0 victory.
Beraldo is the son of the former professional football center-back André Luis de Jesus Beraldo.
Marquinhos Religion
Marcos Aoás Corrêa, better known as Marquinhos, is a Brazilian professional footballer who is a practicing Christian. Marquinhos was born on May 14, 1994, in São Paulo, Brazil, and he plays as a center-back for and captains both Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Brazil national team. When Marquinhos was eight years old, he joined the youth academy of Corinthians. By 2012, he broke into the senior side and was part of the squad that won the prestigious Copa Libertadores that same year.
After making his mark in Brazil, he moved to Europe in 2012 with Roma and then joined Paris Saint-Germain soon after for €31.4 million. At PSG, he captained the team to their first UEFA Champions League titles back-to-back in 2025 and 2026, with the former being part of a continental treble. Marquinhos is the most decorated player and all-time appearance leader in Paris Saint-Germain’s history, having made well over 500 appearances for the club. His remarkable trophy cabinet with the Parisian giants includes 11 Ligue 1 titles, 14 domestic cups, and multiple European honors.
Marquinhos captained the Brazil U17 team to victory at the 2011 South American Under-17 Championship and led them at the U17 World Cup. In 2013, he earned his first senior cap for the Brazil national team. Three years later, he won an Olympic gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics and lifted the Copa América title in 2019.
During a match between PSG and Nantes on 14 March 2021, his father, who was at home with his two teenage sisters, was assaulted and held hostage while the assailants searched the residence.
Illia Zabarnyi Religion
Illia Borysovych Zabarnyi is a Ukrainian professional footballer who identifies as a Christian, most likely Eastern Orthodox. Illia Zabarnyi plays as a center-back for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain. He also plays for the Ukraine national team and previously played for Dynamo Kyiv and Bournemouth. Among his many career achievements, Zabarnyi won the 2025-2026 UEFA Champions League and the 2025 UEFA Super Cup.
Zabarnyi first started playing for Ukrainian club Dynamo Kyiv before his move to the Premier League club Bournemouth. He spent two years with Bournemouth, and in August 2025, Zabarnyi made a €66 million permanent move to Paris Saint-Germain on a five-year deal.
Zabarnyi married his long-time partner, Angelina Zabarna, in their hometown of Kyiv in 2023.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia Religion
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is a Georgian professional footballer who is a Georgian Orthodox Christian. Kvaratskhelia was born on 12 February 2001 in Tbilisi, Georgia, to a former professional footballer, Badri Kvaratskhelia. Kvaratskhelia began his senior career with Dinamo Tbilisi in 2017 and later moved through clubs in Georgia and Russia before his rise in Western Europe. He played for Rustavi, Lokomotiv Moscow, and Rubin Kazan and then returned to Georgia with Dinamo Batumi before joining Napoli, where he became a major star and helped lead the club to secure their first historic Serie A Scudetto title in 33 years.
In January 2025, PSG paid a club record €70 million transfer fee for Kvaratskhelia, who signed a five-year contract with the French club. He won a continental treble in his first season with the club. He then went on to win back-to-back Champions League titles and was officially named the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League Player of the Season.
Kvaratskhelia and Nitsa Tavadze were married in a traditional Orthodox ceremony at the historic Samtavro Monastery in October 2023, after dating for a year. In addition, he has two brothers, including younger brother Tornike, who is also a footballer.
Fabián Ruiz Religion
Fabián Ruiz Peña, also known simply as Fabián, is a Spanish professional footballer who is a devout Roman Catholic. Fabián was born on April 3, 1996, in Los Palacios y Villafranca, a town in Seville, Spain. His parents separated when he was 12 years old. When Fabián was accepted into the Real Betis Academy at age eight, the club’s youth director, Manuel Castaño, learned of the family’s extreme poverty and hired his mother, Chari Peña, as a club cleaner.
His professional career began at Betis, where he moved through the youth ranks and made his first-team debut in 2014. He later spent time on loan at Elche to gain experience, then moved to Napoli in 2018, where he developed into one of Serie A’s most elegant midfielders before joining Paris Saint-Germain in 2022. At PSG, he has claimed multiple Ligue 1 titles, the Coupe de France, and back-to-back UEFA Champions League titles (2025 and 2026).
Ousmane Dembélé Religion
Masour Ousmane Dembélé is a French professional footballer who is a devout Muslim. He has funded the construction of a mosque in his mother’s hometown in Mauritania using part of his 2018 World Cup winnings. Dembélé was born in Vernon, Eure, in the Normandy region of France, on May 15, 1997. His mother is Mauritanian-Senegalese, while his father is Malian. Regarded as one of the best players in the world, Dembélé made history as the tenth player ever to win the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League, and the Ballon d’Or over the course of a career.
Ousmane Dembélé joined Rennes as a teenager and made his first-team breakthrough there in 2015. He was crowned Ligue 1’s Young Player of the Season for 2015–16. He then moved to German club Borussia Dortmund in 2016, where he won the DFB-Pokal and reached the Champions League final in 2017. That form earned him a €105 million transfer to Barcelona, where he spent several years and was part of Barcelona’s La Liga title-winning sides in 2017–18 and 2018–19 and won the Copa del Rey in 2017–18 and 2020–21, along with the Spanish Super Cup in 2019 and 2023.
Later, Dembélé signed a five-year deal with Paris Saint-Germain for a fee of €50.4 million. At PSG, he became one of the highest-paid players in Ligue 1, earning a gross salary of approximately €18 million to €20 million per season and roughly €346,000 to €384,000 per week. As of early 2026, his camp actually demanded a massive €60 million annual salary after turning down PSG’s initial extension offer of €30 million. Among his many career achievements, Dembélé won the 2018 FIFA World Cup with France and the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain and was named the Ligue 1 Player of the Year for both the 2024–25 and 2025–26 seasons.
Désiré Doué Religion
Désiré Nonka-Maho Doué is a French professional footballer who is a practicing Christian who publicly expresses his faith. Désiré Doué was born on 3 June 2005 in Angers, France, to an Ivorian father and French mother. He holds French and Ivorian citizenships. After progressing through the youth ranks, Doué signed his first professional contract with Rennes in April 2022 and made his Ligue 1 debut soon after, in August 2022 against Lorient. A few weeks later, he scored his first professional goal against Brest, becoming the first player born in 2005 to score in one of Europe’s top five leagues.
In the summer of 2024, Doué signed a five-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain, and the club reportedly paid a transfer fee of €50 million. Paris Saint-Germain won the Ligue 1 title during his first season with the club. That same year, Doué won the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year award, the Champions League’s Young Player of the Season, and the Golden Boy award. The following season, he helped PSG win the Ligue 1 and UEFA Champions League for a second time in a row while individually claiming the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year award for the second year running.
Before his senior debut for France in 2025, Doué excelled as a youth international, notably winning the 2022 UEFA European Under-17 Championship with France. Additionally, his brother Guéla Doué and his cousins Yann Gboho, Marc-Olivier Doué, and Eddy Doué are also professional footballers.
Vitinha Religion
Vítor Machado Ferreira, known as Vitinha, is a Portuguese professional footballer who is a practicing Christian. Vitinha was born in Santo Tirso, Portugal, where his father, Vítor Manuel, was also a professional footballer. When Vitinha was eleven years old, he began playing on the youth academy of the Portuguese team FC Porto before he was promoted to the first team in 2020. After that, he spent the 2020-21 season on loan at the Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers. Vitinha returned to Porto for the 2021-22 season and had his best spell there, helping the club win a domestic Primeira Liga and cup double while being named the league’s best young player.
In June 2022, Porto announced that Vitinha would transfer to Paris Saint-Germain after the Ligue 1 club activated his €41.5 million release clause. Over the subsequent four seasons, Vitinha has won four Ligue 1 titles and two Coupes de France and was integral to the club winning their first UEFA Champions League titles back-to-back in 2025 and 2026, with the former being part of a continental treble. In 2025, Vitinha finished third in the 2025 Ballon d’Or voting behind his teammate Ousmane Dembélé and Lamine Yamal and was officially selected as a midfielder in the 2025 Men’s FIFPRO World 11.
Vitinha has played for Portugal across different competitions, including the 2022 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2024, and the 2026 World Cup. He also won the UEFA Nations League in 2025.
Away from football, Vitinha and his partner Tatiana Torres have two daughters as of 2026.
Lee Kang-in Religion
Lee Kang-in is a South Korean professional footballer who was raised Catholic but currently identifies as non-religious. Lee Kang-in was born in 2001 in Incheon, South Korea, to a father who was a taekwondo instructor and a mother, Kang Seong-mi, who worked in administrative roles at a Catholic university hospital chapel. Lee was baptized and raised in a Catholic family environment as a child but has publicly stated that he no longer practices or follows any religion.
Lee Kang-in plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Paris Saint-Germain and the South Korea national team. Lee spent a decade at Valencia, moving from the academy to the reserve team and then the senior side. After leaving Valencia, he joined Mallorca in the 2021 summer transfer window and had a strong two-season spell there, finishing the 2022-23 campaign with six goals and seven assists. PSG then signed him in the 2023 summer window on a five-year contract for a fee of €22 million. Lee made history by being part of the squads that won back-to-back UEFA Champions League titles in 2025 and 2026, including a historic continental treble in 2025.
In 2019, Lee won both the FIFA U-20 World Cup Golden Ball and the AFC Asian Young Footballer of the Year awards.
Lucas Hernandez Religion
Lucas François Bernard Hernandez is a French professional footballer who does not publicly practice a specific religion. Lucas Hernández was born on 14 February 1996 in Marseille, France. His father, Jean-François Hernández, was a professional footballer, and Lucas later moved with his mother and brother Théo to Spain, where he was raised and developed as a player. Hernandez joined Rayo Majadahonda Football Club when he was 9 years old, before joining Atlético Madrid’s academy two years later. From there, he made his senior debut for Atlético Madrid in 2014 and was part of Atlético’s 2016 Champions League final run, then helped the club win the 2018 Europa League and UEFA Super Cup. In 2019, he moved to Bayern Munich in what was then the club’s record signing. With Bayern, he won the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, and additional league titles during his spell in Germany.
Lucas returned to his home country by joining Paris Saint-Germain in the 2023 summer transfer window. He signed a five-year contract for a transfer fee reported to be in the region of €40 million. He has since been highly successful under Luis Enrique, securing additional Ligue 1 titles and completing a second personal continental treble.
Lucas made his senior debut for France on 23 March 2018 in a friendly against Colombia. Later that year, he was part of the France squad that won the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, one of the biggest achievements of his career. He also added the 2021 UEFA Nations League to his international honors.
In other activities, on 3 February 2017, Hernandez was arrested on suspicion of assaulting his girlfriend, who was also summoned to appear in court. Both Hernandez and his girlfriend, Amelia Llorente, were sentenced to 31 days of community service, while Hernandez was also served with a restraining order preventing him from being within 500 meters of Llorente. Four years later, Hernandez was sentenced to six months in prison by a Spanish court for violating the restraining order after he and Llorente landed together in Madrid.
Senny Mayulu Religion
Senny Nsona Mayulu is a French professional footballer who is a devout Christian and is notably open and vocal about his faith. Senny Mayulu was born in 2006 in Le Blanc-Mesnil, France, to a DR Congolese father and French mother. He has an older brother who is also a professional footballer and a younger brother, Emany, who currently plays for Lyon’s youth team.
Mayulu started out at US Saint-Denis, then moved to AF Épinay-sur-Seine, and later entered PSG’s youth setup in 2020. After he moved into PSG’s academy in 2020, Mayulu advanced through the U19s and reserve teams and began training with the senior squad in late 2023. He followed that up with a long-term contract extension keeping him at PSG. On 31 May 2025, Mayulu came off the bench in the UEFA Champions League Final to score the final goal in a 5–0 win over Inter Milan, becoming the youngest Frenchman to ever score in a UEFA club competition final.
Mayulu has chosen to represent his birth nation, France, at every major youth level, though he remains eligible to play for the DR Congo senior national team.
Nuno Mendes Religion
Nuno Alexandre Tavares Mendes is a Portuguese professional footballer who is a Christian. He comes from a Roman Catholic background. Nuno Mendes was born on 19 June 2002 in Sintra, in the Lisbon area of Portugal, and he first played football with Despertar before joining Sporting CP’s youth academy as a child. In 2020, Mendes made his Sporting CP first-team debut and soon became a starter. In the 2020-21 season, he helped Sporting win the Primeira Liga and Taça da Liga, earning a place among the best young players in Portugal.
In August 2021, Mendes joined Paris Saint-Germain on loan before the move was made permanent in 2022 for €38 million. In Paris, Mendes has amassed five consecutive Ligue 1 titles and back-to-back UEFA Champions League trophies (2025, 2026). He notably recovered from a serious thigh injury to play 120 minutes in the May 30, 2026, Champions League final victory over Arsenal.
Mendes represented Portugal at various youth levels from U16 to U21 before making his senior debut in March 2021. He was selected for EURO 2020 and later became part of Portugal’s squad for the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024. In 2025, he won the UEFA Nations League and was named the best player of the finals.
Mendes is the son of Cape Verdean parents who moved to Portugal before his birth. In 2020, his father sadly passed away.
Dro Fernández Religion
Pedro Fernández Sarmiento, known as Dro Fernández or simply Dro, is a Spanish professional footballer whose specific religious beliefs are not publicly documented. Dro Fernández was born on 12 January 2008 in Nigrán, Spain, to a Spanish father and a Filipino mother. He began playing football at the age of four with his hometown club, ED Val Miñor Nigrán. He was later developed there under local coaching before joining FC Barcelona’s academy in 2022, where he continued his rise through La Masia. After joining Barcelona in 2022, Dro progressed through the club’s youth teams, including Juvenil B and Juvenil A. On January 26, 2026, Paris Saint-Germain triggered his €8.2 million transfer fee, pulling him away from Barcelona on a contract running through 2030. Two months after his debut, on 21 March, Dro scored his first PSG goal in a 4–0 win over Nice, becoming the club’s youngest non-academy player to score for PSG.
On 30 May 2026, Dro Fernández became the youngest player to win the UEFA Champions League.
Bradley Barcola Religion
Bradley Jean-Manuel Essolisam Addo Barcola is a French professional footballer who is widely believed to be a Christian. Bradley Barcola was born on 2 September 2002 in Villeurbanne, a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon, to a French mother and Togolese father, and he holds a dual French-Togolese nationality. After coming up through Lyon’s academy, Barcola signed his first professional contract in 2021 and made his debut in a Europa League match against Sparta Prague. Playing 40 games, he scored 7 goals and provided 11 assists, which earned him a nomination for the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year. In 2023, PSG signed him for a €45 million fee, signing a five-year contract with the club, where he went on to win the UEFA Champions League as part of a continental treble in 2025.
Barcola’s brother Malcolm is also a footballer and plays for the Togo national team.
Lucas Chevalier Religion
Lucas Eugène Chevalier is a French professional footballer who is a Christian. Chevalier was born on 6 November 2001 in Calais, France, and plays as a goalkeeper for Paris Saint-Germain and the France national team. When Chevalier was six years old, he began playing with Sporting Club Coquelles, later moved to AS Marck, and joined Lille’s academy as a teenager. He spent four years in the academy before making his senior debut in 2022. During the 2021–22 season, Chevalier joined Ligue 2 side Valenciennes FC on loan, where he was named the Ligue 2 Goalkeeper of the Year. Later on, he returned to Lille and established himself as the first-choice goalkeeper for the 2022–23 season.
On August 9, 2025, PSG signed Chevalier to a five-year contract through 2030 for a reported €40 million fee. Four days later, on 13 August 2025, Chevalier made his PSG debut and saved a critical penalty against Tottenham Hotspur in the shootout that won PSG the UEFA Super Cup. He went on to duplicate his feat by saving two penalties against Marseille to secure the Trophée des Champions.
Warren Zaïre-Emery Religion
Warren Marie Jean-Pierre Zaïre-Emery is a French professional footballer who has not publicly declared his personal religious beliefs. Zaïre-Emery was born in 2006 in Montreuil, France, to a French father, Franck Emery, and a mother, Gessie, of Martinique descent. He is a product of the Paris Saint-Germain Youth Academy. In 2022, he signed his first professional contract with PSG and made his senior debut soon after, becoming the youngest player in club history at the time. He then broke more records in Ligue 1 and the Champions League, including becoming PSG’s youngest Champions League starter and the youngest player in the club’s history to feature in a knockout match. By 2023-24, he had already become a regular part of the first team, and he continued adding milestones in the following seasons, including reaching 100 Ligue 1 appearances before turning 20.
He has also become a major figure for France at the youth and senior levels. In 2022, he won the UEFA U17 European Championship with France and was named Player of the Tournament. One year later, in November 2023, Zaïre-Emery made his senior France debut against Gibraltar, where he also scored his first international goal. That made him one of the youngest scorers in French senior-team history and the youngest player in the history of the French national team as well.
Matvéi Safónov Religion
Matvey Yevgenyevich Safonov is a Russian professional footballer who does not publicly discuss his religious beliefs, but given his background, he is culturally tied to Eastern Orthodox Christianity. His father, Yevgeny Safonov, was a basketball player and later worked as a youth coach at Lokomotiv Kuban. Safonov came through FC Krasnodar’s youth academy and began his senior career in 2017. In June 2024, Paris Saint-Germain paid a club record €20 million transfer fee for Safonov, who signed a five-year contract with the French club. With PSG, he won the UEFA Champions League as part of a treble in 2025, and the following season, he won another Champions League as part of a double in 2026.
Safonov represented Russia at every youth level from U15 to U21 before reaching the senior team. He was first called up to the Russia national team in October 2020 and made his senior debut on 1 June 2021 in a friendly against Poland. Additionally, he was also included in Russia’s extended Euro 2020 squad.
Quentin Ndjantou Religion
Quentin Ndjantou Mbitcha is a French professional footballer whose personal religious beliefs are not publicly documented. Ndjantou was born on July 23, 2007, in Arpajon, France, and he is of Cameroonian descent. He began his football journey in the Paris region, coming through RC Arpajonnais, Paris FC, and US Villejuif before joining Paris Saint-Germain’s academy in 2020. After joining PSG in 2020, Ndjantou progressed through the club’s youth teams and became part of a highly successful U19 setup. He won consecutive Championnat National U19 titles with PSG in 2024 and 2025, and in July 2025, he signed his first professional contract with Paris Saint-Germain, committing his future to the club for three years.
Holding dual French and Cameroonian citizenship, Ndjantou has committed to the French national team throughout his development. He made his debut for France U16s in 2022 and later represented France at the U17, U18, and U19 levels.
Ibrahim Mbaye Religion
Ibrahim Mbaye is a Senegalese professional footballer who is a practicing Muslim. Mbaye was born on 24 January 2008 in Trappes, France, to a Senegalese father and a Moroccan mother. When Mbaye was five years old, he signed his first youth license with ES Guyancourt. He spent two years there before moving to FC Versailles 78 from 2015 to 2018. Subsequently, he joined PSG’s academy in 2018 at the age of 10. On 17 August 2024, Mbaye became the youngest player ever to start a match for Paris Saint-Germain in all competitive competitions. In the recently concluded 2025–26 season, he made 24 Ligue 1 appearances, scoring 3 goals. In addition, he already boasts an astonishing 12 senior club trophies, including consecutive Ligue 1 titles and the UEFA Champions League.
In December 2025, at just 17 years and 10 months old, he became the youngest Senegalese player to ever feature at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). He followed that up in January 2026 by becoming Senegal’s youngest-ever AFCON goalscorer after netting against Sudan.
Willian Pacho Religion
Willian Joel Pacho Tenorio is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who is a practicing Christian. Pacho was born on 16 October 2001 in Quinindé, Ecuador. Willian Pacho is considered one of the world’s best defenders, and he has played for the football clubs Independiente del Valle (2019–2022), Royal Antwerp (2022–2023), Eintracht Frankfurt (2023–2024), and Paris Saint-Germain (2024–). He has been a member of the Ecuador national team since 2023 and has earned over 35 caps for the team. Following his high-profile move to Paris Saint-Germain, Pacho’s continuous stellar performances have driven his market value to a record-breaking €80 million, cementing his status as one of the most valuable defenders in world football.
Pacho’s first name is often mistakenly listed as “William” due to it being a common anglicized equivalent and interchangeable pronunciation in Spanish. However, his legal and officially registered first name is actually spelled “Willian.”
João Neves Religion
João Pedro Gonçalves Neves is a Portuguese professional footballer who follows Christianity, although the Portuguese midfielder has not publicly spoken in great detail about his religious beliefs. João Neves was born on September 27, 2004, in Tavira, Portugal, and plays as a midfielder for Paris Saint-Germain and the Portugal national team. Primarily a central midfielder, Neves is also able to play as a defensive midfielder and occasionally a right-back. He began playing football for his local hometown club, Casa Benfica Tavira, before moving to join Benfica’s academy in 2016. Neves won the UEFA Youth League with Benfica’s U19 side in 2022, which was one of the first major signs of his potential at the top level. He then made his first-team debut on 1 January 2023 against Braga and soon became part of Roger Schmidt’s rotation, helping Benfica win the Primeira Liga title that season.
In August 2024, French giants Paris Saint-Germain wrapped up a €60 million deal to secure Neves’ services on a contract running through 2029. Since his arrival in Paris, Neves has experienced an unprecedented era of success. He has partnered with fellow countryman Vitinha in midfield to help mastermind back-to-back UEFA Champions League titles in 2025 and 2026. At only 21 years old, his PSG tenure already includes two Ligue 1 titles, a Coupe de France, and a FIFA Intercontinental Cup victory.
Neves also moved through Portugal’s youth teams, representing the country at the U19 and U21 levels before making his senior debut against Bosnia in October 2023. Neves won the UEFA Nations League in 2025.
João Neves lost his mother, Rosa Neves, to cancer at the age of 50 in February 2024, when he was 19 years old.
Yan Diomandé Religion
Yan Diomande is an Ivorian professional footballer who is a devout Muslim. Yan Diomandé was born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, and his early path took him from football in Côte d’Ivoire to academy development in the United States before he broke into European football. In the United States, he attended high school at Yulee High and played soccer for the DME Academy in Florida. After his time in Florida, Diomandé returned to Europe and signed his first professional contract with Leganés in November 2024. He made his La Liga debut against Real Madrid in March 2025, then moved to RB Leipzig after the club triggered his €20 million release clause in July 2025. At the end of the 2025–26 season, he was named the Bundesliga Rookie of the Season after recording 12 goals and 8 assists in 33 games.
According to sports journalist Fabrizio Romano, Yan Diomandé has agreed to a deal in principle to join Paris Saint-Germain on a five-year contract. The French club is in active, advanced club-to-club negotiations with RB Leipzig to finalize a transfer fee expected to exceed €100 million. Diomandé rejected a massive £86 million package from Liverpool because his heart was set entirely on PSG. Leipzig also offered PSG to sign Diomandé this summer but to let him stay in Germany on loan until the start of the 2027/2028 season; the decision is now up to the clubs.
Diomandé represents Ivory Coast, the country of his birth. He has played for international tournaments, including the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2026 FIFA World Cup.