Neymar’s return to Brazil has gone from bad to worse with the forward ruled out for the remainder of boyhood club Santos’ Brazilian Serie A relegation battle through injury.
The 33-year-old missed Monday’s 1-1 draw at Internacional after complaining of knee discomfort in the build-up to kick-off.
It was hoped that he would just miss that match and return for Saturday’s home clash with Sport, but the prognosis is worse, ruling him out of that game as well as the final two of a poor season.
And that is because Globo Esporte report that he has suffered meniscus injury in his left knee and will not play again for the rest of the year.
He learned of his fate on Tuesday after undergoing tests in Sao Paulo.
The playmaker’s problem arose in the first half of a 1-1 draw with Mirassol on November 19, having started that match and the two previously. He did play the full duration of the encounter, in which he scored a fourth-minute opener, with Mirassol after the injury.
Neymar originally joined hometown club Santos in January on a six-month deal which was then extended until December. Before returning to Brazil, his 16-month spell at Saudi side Al-Hilal was blighted by an anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered in his left knee in October 2023 while on international duty for Brazil.
Since being at Santos, his time at the club has also been plagued with injuries with this the fourth physical issue he has had.
In March he suffered a left hamstring injury, a month later it was left thigh reducing him to tears. In September it was his right thigh and now it’s his left knee.
In all competitions for Santos in 2025, he has scored seven goals and provided three assists in 27 appearances.
The injury leaves a question mark over Neymar’s 2026 World Cup aspirations. He won’t play for the rest of the year and the new Brazilian season doesn’t start until late March.
—Daily Mail
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