Despite being the top goalscorer of all time, Neymar has been bitten like a snake throughout his international career. Injuries kept piling up, forcing him to miss the 2014 World Cup semi-finals and Brazil’s triumphant 2019 Copa America campaign. He then lost to arch-rivals Argentina in the 2021 Copa America final.
Now Neymar will be sidelined for an extended period with a torn ACL and meniscus injury suffered during Brazil’s World Cup qualifier against Uruguay on Tuesday. It is unclear whether Neymar will make it in time for Copa America 2024, but it will certainly be close.
Messi sends Neymar a positive message
While Neymar is probably dealing with a lot of conflicting emotions right now, his old friend has sent him some support. On Wednesday, Lionel Messi shared an Instagram story of a picture with Neymar with the caption: “Stay strong!”
Messi and Neymar have been very close since the Brazilian joined FC Barcelona, Messi’s longtime club, in 2013. The two won eight trophies together, including the Champions League, and formed one of the best attacking tridents in football history with Luis Suarez.
In 2017, Neymar left for PSG, where he reunited with his Argentinian friend in 2021. They were there together for two seasons, but shared only 45 matches on the pitch, mainly due to Neymar’s injury. Both left the club after the 2022-2023 season.
There is no doubt that these two players would love to play in the same team again before Messi leaves. But with Neymar having just signed a lucrative deal with Al-Hilal and facing a long road to recovery, it’s unclear when and where that might happen.
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