As often happens when we resume after a long absence, Neymar was the victim of a small alert on Monday, for only his second match since his cruciate ligament and meniscus injury. Back with his Saudi club Al-Hilal two weeks ago after more than a year of absence, the Brazilian had to leave the field during his team's victory (3-0) in the Asian Champions League against Esteghlal's Iranian team, appearing to suffer pain in his right thigh.
Neymar, 32, came on as a substitute at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh in the 58th minute, while Al-Hilal was already leading 2-0 thanks to Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, ultimately scoring a hat-trick. Minutes later he held his thigh and after receiving treatment on the sidelines, he was substituted in the 86th minute.
“I have to be careful and play more minutes”
The former Barça and PSG player was seriously injured on October 17, 2023 with Brazil, in a qualifying match for the 2026 World Cup against Uruguay. He played again for the first time in official competition on October 21. Before his injury, he had only played five games for the Saudi club which he joined in August 2023 for some 100 million euros per season.
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In the morning, the player gave his news on his Instagram account. “I felt like I had a cramp, but very strong! I'm going to take some exams and I hope it's not too serious, he wrote. I have to be careful and play more minutes. »
This is certainly what his club would like too, but we will have to be a little patient. The Brazilian should be absent “at least two weeks”, according to Jorge Jesus, the coach of the Saudi club, who clarified on Tuesday that his player was suffering from “a muscle injury”.
