Al Hilal striker Neymar underwent surgery on his left knee on Thursday to repair anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus injuries in his left knee that he sustained while playing in Brazil‘s World Cup qualifying loss to Uruguay in October.
Dr. Rodrigo Lasmar, surgeon for the Brazil national team as well as Atlético-MG, did the surgery in Belo Horizonte. No recovery estimate was given on Thursday, but sources told ESPN last month that CBF’s medical staff estimates he could be back in time for the Copa América, which will be contested in the United States next summer.
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Neymar posted on his Instagram stories a photo of his wrist with his hospital bracelet as well as a photo of himself with his two children along with a message that said “Everything will be fine.”
Neymar’s father also posted a short video on his Instagram feed with a prayer and images of Neymar.
Neymar tripped and fell during a run in the 44th minute of Brazil’s 2-0 loss at the Centenario Stadium and was immediately surrounded by players from both teams as he held his left knee.
The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward was carried off on a stretcher as he held his hands to his face, while teammate Richarlison replaced him.
Neymar, who is Brazil’s all-time men’s top scorer with 79 goals in 129 appearances, recently recovered from a serious right ankle injury.
He had surgery after he twisted his ankle during a game against Lille in February, sustaining ligament damage, just three months after he suffered a similar problem at the Qatar World Cup.
He underwent foot surgery with Dr. Lasmar in 2018, on the eve of the World Cup in Russia, due to a fracture.
Since moving to Al Hilal, Neymar has played just five times, scoring one goal and providing five assists.
Brazil, who are third in South American World Cup qualifying, play at Colombia and at home to Argentina in this month’s qualifiers.
After six years at PSG, Neymar joined Al Hilal in the big-spending Saudi Pro League for a fee of €90 million ($98.6m) in August.
