Brazilian football sensation Neymar sustained a torn ACL and meniscus in his left knee during a World Cup qualifying match, as announced by the country’s soccer federation on Wednesday. The injury occurred near the end of the first half in a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay in Montevideo. Neymar was visibly distressed as he lay on the field and was subsequently stretchered off.
Neymar’s club team, Al Hilal of the Saudi Pro League, expressed their support with a social media post on Wednesday, stating that he will undergo surgery and follow a treatment plan to be determined later, indicating the severity of the injuries.
Recovery timelines for the 31-year-old forward can vary for injuries of this nature, and his participation in the upcoming Copa América in the United States could be at risk.
This injury may result in Neymar’s debut season for Al Hilal ending shortly after it began. Neymar joined the Saudi Arabian club in August for a reported transfer fee of nearly $100 million from Paris Saint-Germain. He participated in just five matches for Al Hilal, including two in the Asian Champions League. The injury, which took place during Neymar’s fourth international match since September, may keep him sidelined until the end of Al Hilal’s season in May.
This injury is the latest and potentially most severe in a series of physical setbacks for Neymar. He underwent ankle surgery in March, which marked the conclusion of his six-season tenure with PSG, during which he also missed time due to foot injuries. Another ankle injury caused him to miss several matches in the previous World Cup, and in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, he was eliminated after a harsh collision with a Colombian defender resulted in a spinal injury.
When Neymar is on the field, he is a remarkable scorer and playmaker, carrying on Brazil’s legacy of producing football magicians. He is one of the few players to have scored over 100 goals for three major clubs: PSG, Barcelona, and Santos. In September, during a World Cup qualifier against Bolivia, Neymar broke a national team scoring record shared with the legendary Pelé by netting his 79th goal for Brazil.
“Brazilian and world football need Neymar to make a healthy and full recovery,” said Ednaldo Rodrigues, the president of the Brazilian soccer federation, in a statement shared in Portuguese on Wednesday, “because football is at its happiest when he’s on the pitch.