According to the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), football sensation Neymar has a torn ligament and meniscus in his left knee and will need to undergo surgery after getting injured during Brazil’s 2-0 loss to Uruguay on Wednesday. The injury occurred during Brazil’s match against Uruguay.
The 31-year-old player, who moved from Paris Saint-Germain to Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal in August, was stretchered off in tears just before halftime during Brazil’s 2026 World Cup qualification match in Montevideo on Tuesday. The match was for Uruguay’s spot in the tournament.
Neymar will have surgery for the injuries at a “yet-to-be-determined date,” according to the CBF, which made the announcement following a series of medical checks on the player in Sao Paulo.
Ednaldo Rodrigues, head of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), said in a statement that “Brazilian and world football need Neymar healthy and recovered, because football is happier when he is on the pitch.”
The CBF stated that its medical department and Al Hilal’s medical department are “constantly in contact” with one another and “aligned” in their efforts to assist the striker in his recovery.
Neymar, who just last month passed Pele as Brazil’s all-time leading goal scorer, suffered a knee injury after a collision with Nicolas de la Cruz, a Uruguayan midfielder, in stoppage time towards the end of the first half. The contact occurred in the vicinity of the finish of the first half.
After the game, he was helped off the field on a stretcher and exited the stadium using crutches while also wearing a leg brace.
It is the most recent in a series of injuries for the player, who had surgery in March for an ankle problem that kept him out of action for a period of six months.
His struggles with his physical condition dominated the majority of his six seasons at Paris Saint-Germain, where he was signed for a world-record sum of $234 million (222 million euros) in 2017.
In August, he made his debut with Al Hilal after signing a contract reportedly worth $95 million.
In football, knee injuries are among the most prevalent and devastating of all injuries that can occur.
According to the CBF, Neymar suffered damage to his anterior cruciate ligament, which is among the most serious injuries possible.
Players are typically sidelined for a number of months after undergoing surgery to repair the problem.