Neymar had a big disappointment with Brazil in the Qatar 2022 World Cup, so Copa America 2024 was the first step towards redemption with the national team. However, many questioned whether the star made the right decision to leave Europe to play in Saudi Arabia with Al Hilal.
Of course, Neymar chose this country because the offer was simply huge. A two-year contract to leave PSG with an income of $100 million for each season played in the Saudi Pro League.
Although MLS could have been another possibility to reunite with Lionel Messi, Ney was part of the domino effect created by Cristiano Ronaldo. Other big names like Karim Benzema or Sadio Mane also followed this path.
Last October, however, Neymar suffered a serious injury during a 2026 World Cup qualifier against Uruguay. At the time, the Brazilian Football Confederation announced he would be out for six to eight months with torn ligaments and meniscus in his left knee.
Neymar will miss the 2024 Copa America with Brazil
Despite the initial diagnosis suggesting Neymar would miss the rest of the season with Al Hilal, there was still hope that the star could recover in time for the upcoming summer and take part in the Copa America.
The eight-month recovery period will end exactly in June, the same day the tournament starts. On this occasion, it will be held in many cities across the United States.
However, Neymar’s dream ended after Brazilian national team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar confirmed that the star had no chance of a full recovery for the tournament.
“It is too early. We have to be patient. It is premature to talk about a comeback nine months ago. This is a global concept of ligament renewal. It is very important to take the biological time, the time the body needs to integrate this ligament. It is expected that after this time he will be healed at a high level.”
Leave a comment