Neymar has long been revered as one of the greatest footballers of his generation. He has played for some of the biggest clubs in the world and captained his country.
The Brazilian forward is currently contracted to Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League but has suffered a major injury setback. What lies ahead for Neymar following his season ending injury?
Neymar’s Injury
We must go back to Brazil’s World Cup qualifying defeat to Uruguay in October 2023 to discover what happened to Neymar. The forward was injured during the match and was carried off on a stretcher. The injury looked bad at the time as Neymar left the field with his hand covering his face and the news that followed confirmed the worst.
Neymar suffered a serious injury to his left knee and needed surgery to repair not only anterior cruciate ligaments but alsomeniscus injuries. Neymar will have to go through a longrehabilitation process and it will take many months for the Brazilian to get back on the pitch for club and country. The news is a blow to Brazil, who have made a stuttering start to their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign. Despite their struggles, Brazil are still considered one of the favourites in the betting for the 2026 World Cup and you can use £1 bookmakers to have a wager on the event with a low minimum deposit.
Neymar’s Injury Record
This is not the first time Neymar has suffered a serious injury in his career, so he will be confident of making a full recovery. Neymar has made only 17 appearances for both club and country in 2023, such has been his trouble with injuries. Going back to February 2023, and Neymar suffered an ankle injury while at his previous club, Paris Saint-Germain. The injury saw Neymar on the treatment table for five months and it was not the first time he has had problems with his ankle.
In November 2021, Neymar had an ankle injury that kept him out of action until February and between January and August 2019, Neymar suffered from a metatarsal fracture and ankle ligament tear. There was another metatarsal fracture in February 2018 and that really was the start of the serious injuries for Neymar in his career. There were plenty of injuries before February 2018 and during his time at Barcelona but only minor issues that had short recovery times. The past five years of Neymar’s career have been littered with serious injuries and the former Santos forward has done remarkably well to come back and perform at the highest level each time.
Returning to Action
Neymar has recovered from serious injuries in the past and he will do so again following surgery to his knee. However, the previous problems have been with his ankle, so this is something different. This is the most serious injury of Neymar’s career, and the recovery will take longer than his previous injuries.
The 2024 Copa America will take place between June and July and this is something for Neymar to target during his recovery. The forward has won European league titles with Barcelona and PSG plus the Champions League with Barcelona. Neymar also won the Copa Libertadores with Santos in 2011, so he has some big titles in his trophy cabinet. However, Neymar has never won anything major with Brazil.
He was part of the Brazilian team that won the 2013 Confederations Cup but that does not compare to a World Cup or Copa America. Given Neymar is now 31 years of age, it is highly unlikely he will play at the 2026 World Cup, even if he was fit for selection. Winning the World Cup is probably out of reach but there could still be a chance to win the Copa America in 2024. That is what will be the focus for Neymar and what will drive him to recover from his knee injury.
Having seen Messi captain Argentina to success at the 2022 World Cup, Neymar will want to taste similar glory with Brazil and the 2024 Copa America could be his last chance. Neymar will not be thinking about retirement just yet but he will know it is getting close. One big tournament win with Brazil is what he will want before it is too late.
