Notre Dame Cathedral was engulfed in a massive blaze on Monday, and the football world reacted in sadness due to the incident at one of Paris' great landmarks.
The cathedral, which dates back to the 13th century, burned for several hours on Monday causing the collapse of the cathedral's iconic spire and the destruction of its roof structure.
French president Emmanuel Macron said "the worst has been avoided," and added that there would be an international campaign to raise funds to rebuild what was damaged.
"Notre Dame is our history, it's our literature, it's our imagery. It's the place where we live our greatest moments, from wars to pandemics to liberations," he said.
"This history is ours. And it burns. It burns and I know the sadness so many of our fellow French feel."
Monday's tragedy had an impact on plenty throughout the football world, especially a number of French stars, who took to social media to offer their thoughts and prayers.
Kylian Mbappe, Adrian Rabiot and Alexandre Lacazette were among those to offer their thoughts, while Didier Drogba and Neymar also expressed their sadness regarding the incident.
Interviewed at the end of the draw between Leganes and Real Madrid, Zinedine Zidane also referred to the fire: "It's complicated, I do not wish it on anyone. These things can not happen, I do not know what happened."
Images terribles de la Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, l’un des plus beaux monuments de notre ville, en proie aux flammes. Courage à toutes les personnes mobilisées pour éteindre cet incendie.
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) April 15, 2019
😢😭🇫🇷 pray for France 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/TybXWPfBDy
— Neymar Jr (@neymarjr) April 15, 2019
😭🇫🇷... pic.twitter.com/Y5y8c83qMz
— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) April 15, 2019
Mon coeur se serre à la vue de ces images. Notre dame de Paris frappée par les flammes:C’est d’une tristesse absolue 😔
— Bafétimbi Gomis (@BafGomis) April 15, 2019
🙏🏿🙏🏿 https://t.co/s1AqzHtlDi