On March 7th, Paris Saint Germain club announced that Neymar will undergo ligament repair surgery and is expected to take 3-4 months to recover. This also means that the Brazilian superstar will miss all the remaining matches of the season.
According to the club's release, Neymar has experienced several instances of right ankle instability in recent years. After his latest sprain at the end of February this year, medical staff in Paris Saint Germain suggested undergoing ligament repair surgery to avoid the main risk of recurrence, and all consulted experts confirmed the necessity. Neymar will undergo this surgery at ASPETAR Hospital in Doha in the coming days.
At the end of last year's World Cup, Neymar was substituted due to injury in the first round of the group stage match against Serbia, with the injured area being his right ankle. Although he made a timely comeback in the round of 16 of the World Cup, it does not mean that his fragile right ankle condition has improved. On February 19th of this year, in the 24th round of the French Ligue 1 match between Paris Saint Germain and Lille at home, Neymar was fouled by an opposing player, causing another injury to his right ankle and ultimately being carried off the field on a stretcher.
This is another time in Neymar's six seasons with Paris Saint Germain that he was unable to attend due to injury. According to data firm Opta, Neymar has only played 48% of his time in Ligue 1 since joining Paris Saint Germain in the 2017/18 season; If calculated by game count, his appearance rate is only 54.7%. Last season, his situation was relatively good, but he only played 54.4% of the game time. In this season, Neymar has performed well, contributing 18 goals and 17 assists in 29 games. And his injury recovery not only affects the league. On March 9th, the second leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 will begin, and Paris Saint Germain will once again face Bayern Munich. In the first round, Paris Saint Germain lost 0-1 at home.
As a superstar player, Neymar's career has always been plagued by injuries, earning him the titles of "easily injured man" and "glass man physique". According to media statistics, he has missed a total of 150 games in the past 10 years.
To make matters worse, it is currently a period for clubs to renew their contracts and seek new players. It is not difficult to imagine that Neymar's injury and retirement inevitably make the club calculate the cost-effectiveness of this highly valued football star in their hearts.
However, Neymar himself remained calm. He wrote on social media, "I will become even stronger when I return."
