Neymar's mother has urged her Brazilian football star son to "forgive" the woman who accused him of rape and "return to Jesus," in a message published Tuesday on Instagram. Nadine Goncalves' plea, which featured a photo of herself with Neymar and his sister Rafaela, comes after lawyers for the accuser reportedly stopped representing her because of contradictions in her story.

Neymar has vehemently denied the allegations and his father has claimed the Saint-Germain player was the victim of a blackmail attempt. "My son ... now that the truth of God is coming out, it is time to learn from all this and return to Jesus Christ, your first love," Goncalves wrote to Neymar, the world's most expensive footballer.