According to the Brazilian Football Association, Neymar will have surgery after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament & meniscus in his left knee during a World Cup qualifying match against Uruguay. The injury is expected to keep the forward out for several months.
In the 44th minute of Tuesday’s 2-0 loss to Uruguay, the 31-year-old went down following a scuffle for the ball with Nicolas de la Cruz, gripping his left leg in anguish and yelling for help as his teammates watched anxiously.
After being treated for a while, Neymar, who signed with Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal in August, was helped off the field on a stretcher, and an MRI exam on Wednesday confirmed his injuries.
The Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) said on Wednesday that the striker would have surgery to treat his wounds at a later date.
“The medical division of the Brazilian national team … & Al Hilal are in constant contact & are aligned in the athlete’s recovery.”
Neymar expressed his frustration at being sidelined by yet another injury so soon after his ankle surgery recovery.
Prior to leaving Paris St. Germain to sign a two-year contract with Al-Hilal, where he had played just five games this season, he underwent right ankle surgery earlier this year. The recuperation period lasted months.
It’s the worst, he remarked on Instagram. “It’s a very sad time.” “I know I’m resilient, but this time I’m going to depend even more on my family and friends.
“It’s not easy to go over injury and surgery, imagine going over it all again following four months of recovery.”
Injury problems have hampered Neymar’s career. After suffering injuries to his right foot, he was sidelined for three protracted periods with his former team Paris St. Germain.
He had a back injury during the quarterfinal win against Colombia at the 2014 World Cup, keeping him out of the 7-1 semifinal loss to Germany.
Injury setbacks hindered his World Cup victory hopes in 2018. Neymar’s right ankle sprained early that year, causing damage to the fifth metatarsal in his foot.
He was never totally fit as he played despite the agony for Brazil in Russia until they were eliminated by Belgium in the quarterfinals. He missed 16 games for PSG at the end of the 2017–18 domestic season.
Similar injuries were sustained by the forward in 2019, 2021, and at the World Cup in Qatar last year.
Al-Hilal will be devastated by the latest setback because they spent an estimated $95 million (90 million euros) on the forward.
The team is unbeaten in the Saudi Pro League and has a one-point advantage. After two games, they are also in first place in their AFC Champions League group.