Neymar suffers ACL and meniscus tear on duty for Brazil
Brazil star Neymar has suffered yet another injury blow after picking up a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus on duty for Brazil. The 31-year old has missed 144 games due to injury since 2018 and the latest problem occurred during Tuesday’s 2-0 loss to Uruguay in World Cup qualifying.
Neymar only signed his £130m-per-season contract with Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal two months ago but is now set for another long spell on the sidelines. Al-Hilal released a statement on Wednesday confirming the injury: “The medical tests Neymar underwent confirmed the Anterior Cruciate Ligament and Meniscus tear injury in his knee. He will be going through surgery and then a treatment program that will be determined later.”
The former Barcelona and Paris-Saint Germain star now faces a race against time to recover ahead of the Copa America next summer. Neymar was arguably the biggest name to move over to the Saudi Pro League this summer and had registered 118 goals and 77 assists across 173 games for PSG while at Barcelona he scored 105 times and produced 76 assists in 186 matches. He has made five appearances for Al-Hilal since his summer switch, scoring once and proving three assists.
Neymar has 128 caps for Brazil and has registered 79 international goals for his country. He has been vocal about his injury woes in recent years, speaking out after being hit with a box of popcorn after Brazil’s draw with Colombia last month. He also responded to claims he asked for Al-Hilal manager Jorge Jesus to be sacked in September.
It remains to be seen how long Neymar will be out of action for but it is likely that he will miss the rest of the season. The Brazilian star will now have to focus on his recovery and hope to be back in time for the Copa America next summer.