Brazil forward Neymar to have surgery after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his left knee; the 31-year-old suffered injury while on international duty in Tuesday's 2-0 defeat to Uruguay; Neymar's club Al Hilal did not say how long he is expected to be out for
Thursday 19 October 2023 08:12, UK
Brazil forward Neymar will undergo surgery after suffering a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus in his left knee, his club Al Hilal have announced.
Neymar was in tears as he left the field after suffering the injury in Brazil's 2-0 loss against Uruguay on Tuesday.
Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal did not say how long the the 31-year-old is expected to be out for.
Al Hilal posted on X: "He will be going through surgery and then a treatment programme that will be determined later. Return stronger Neymar."
The Brazilian FA (CBF) added: "The striker will undergo surgery, on a date yet to be set, to correct the injuries.
"The medical department of the Brazilian national team and Al Hilal are in constant contact and are aligned in the athlete's recovery."
Neymar said he was frustrated to be sidelined with yet another injury so soon after recovering from an ankle operation.
Earlier this year, he underwent right ankle surgery that required months of recovery and he has now written on Instagram: "It's a very sad time, the worst.
"I know I'm strong but this time I'm going to need my family and friends even more.
"It's not easy to go through injury and surgery. Imagine going through it all again after four months of recovery."
Neymar suffered the injury when tussling for the ball with Uruguay's Nicolas de la Cruz in the 44th minute of the 2-0 defeat.
He left the pitch in tears on a stretcher after receiving treatment for several minutes and now looks set to be sidelined for several months.
It can take six months to a year to recover from ACL injuries and that would likely rule him out for the rest of the season and places doubt over his participation in next year's Copa America, which starts in June.
Neymar is Brazil's all-time top male scorer after he surpassed Pele's record last month with his 78th goal for his country in a World Cup qualifying match against Bolivia. He added his 79th in the same game, which ended in a 5-1 win.
The ex-Barcelona forward left Paris Saint-Germain this summer to join Al Hilal on a two-year deal worth £129.4m a year, but has only scored once in five games for the Saudi side following his £86.3m move.
The injury is the latest setback for Neymar after he was absent for several months of his last two seasons at PSG due to ankle issues, while he also missed two World Cup games last year after spraining his ankle in Brazil's opening win over Serbia.
