Neymar, Mbappe pray for Paris after Notre-Dame Cathedral catches fire

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A horrifying inferno at Paris' Notre-Dame Cathedral gutted the 850-year-old landmark on Monday night and the leading stars of the French capital's football club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, have expressed their grief and sadness on social media.

"Terrible images of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, one of the most beautiful monuments of Paris in flames. We send our gratitude to those fighting to tackle the blaze," the official PSG account said on Twitter.

Neymar posted a drawing of Quasimodo, the protagonist of Victor Hugo's novel and famous Disney animation "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame", crying along with the words: "Pray for France".

Screenshot from Neymar's Twitter

Teammate Mbappe used a photo of the burning building to Instagram and captioned it with a crying emoji next to the French flag.

Screenshot from Mbappe's Instagram

Paul Pogba, a French midfielder who plays for Manchester United and the national team, shared an image of the cathedral with a broken heart emoji attached.

Ligue 1 club AS Monaco sent prayers for Paris on Twitter, saying "The thoughts of everyone at AS Monaco go to all those affected by events at #NotreDame, a sacred and historic global landmark, and to the Paris fire brigade – @PompiersParis – at this tragic time."

The cathedral was located at the center of the French capital in the Middle Ages and its construction was completed in the mid-12th century after some 200 years of work.

Officials say the Gothic building's spire and roof have been destroyed, but the main structure, including the two bell towers, has been saved.

French President Emmanuel Macron vows to rebuild Notre-Dame Cathedral.

The cause of the fire is not yet clear.

(Top image via AFP: A colossal fire tore through Notre-Dame Cathedral, sending the spire crashing onto the structure's roof and wiping out centuries of heritage in central Paris.)

Notre-Dame blaze: Main structure 'saved,' Macron vows to rebuild