Neymar, 31, has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear.토토사이트 The news of his sudden season-ending injury was met with a storm of support from superstars.
“Neymar has undergone an MRI scan and has ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his left knee,” the Brazilian Football Confederation said on its official website on Monday (Aug. 19). Neymar complained of pain after colliding with an opponent while dribbling in a South American qualifier for the 2026 North and Central American World Cup against Uruguay on Aug. 18. The injury was so severe that Neymar was taken off on a stretcher, his hands clasped to his forehead and tears streaming down his face. Sadly, the dreaded news came: anterior cruciate ligament rupture.
He’s effectively out for the season. The typical recovery time for an ACL tear is about a year. Depending on the severity of the injury, he may need more time. Tottenham (England) midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur also suffered a cruciate ligament tear in February and still doesn”t have an exact return date. It has been suggested that Neymar’s age – he’s in his 30s – could be the death knell for his career.
Neymar himself expressed his disappointment. “It’s a very sad and worst moment,” he said on social media shortly after the injury, “I know I’m strong, but this time I’ll need my friends more. It’s not easy to get injured and have surgery, and now I have to go through the same thing again after four months of recovery.”
Numerous players have sent messages of support to Neymar. Even South Korea captain Son Heung-min liked Neymar’s post to show his support. Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), the “God of Soccer” who played with Neymar in Barcelona, Spain, wished him “strength. Brazilian teammate Casemiro (Man Utd) added: “Neymar was injured every time he was in good shape. He’s been struggling a lot,” he said, adding, “I hope it’s not a serious injury.”
In addition to ‘Brazilian legend’ Kaka, Vinicius Junior, Ronaldinho (Real Madrid), Angel Di Maria (Benfica), Marco Verratti (Al Arabi), and Thiago Silva (Chelsea) also showed their support.
His club Al-Hilal (Saudi Arabia) also confirmed the news, saying: “Neymar has suffered a cruciate ligament rupture. A rehabilitation schedule will be decided after the surgery. Come back stronger.” Neymar joined the Saudi league last summer. Al-Hilal shelled out a €90 million ($133 million) transfer fee to sign Neymar. He signed a two-year contract and was promised a total of $300 million. However, they lost their superstar just two months into the deal when Neymar was ruled out for the season.
“Al-Hilal paid a €90 million transfer fee to his former club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to sign Neymar,” said British soccer publication 90MIN. However, Neymar’s debut season seems to have come to an abrupt end.”
Neymar has been plagued by frequent injuries. Earlier this year, he suffered an ankle injury that kept him out for six months. He returned to the field in August. But just two months later, another injury struck.
His national team career also took a hit. Neymar suffered a broken vertebra in the quarterfinals of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Just before the start of the 2019 Copa America, he suffered an ankle injury that kept him out of the tournament. This latest injury has Brazil worried about qualifying for the 2026 World Cup in North and Central America.
Even Brazil can’t rest easy. With two wins, one draw and one loss (7 points), Brazil is in third place in South American qualifying. Fourth-ranked Venezuela (7 points) has the same number of points as Brazil, and fifth-ranked Colombia (6 points) is close behind.
The recent slump has been severe. Brazil has three wins, two draws, and one loss in seven games this year and one win, one draw, and one loss in its last three games. They barely managed a 1-0 win over Peru in September and drew 1-1 against underdog Venezuela on Sept. 13. The team hasn’t recovered from its slump and lost to Uruguay. Add to that the injury to Neymar, and you have a thorny road ahead.
The South American qualifiers are Argentina, who have won all four of their matches (12 points). Uruguay (7 points), featuring Federico Valverde (Real Madrid), moved past Brazil into second place.