Neymar will undergo knee surgery after playing through significant discomfort to help Santos avoid relegation with a 3-0 win over Cruzeiro on Sunday, a development that raises further uncertainty over his chances of returning for Brazil at next year’s World Cup.
The 33-year-old rejoined his boyhood club in January after a spell in Saudi Arabia and proved decisive in the final weeks of the season, scoring five goals in Santos’ last four league matches as they secured survival on the final day. He featured in only 20 of their 38 fixtures due to ongoing fitness problems.
“I came for this, to try to help the best way I can. These have been tough weeks for me,” Neymar told reporters after the match. “I thank those who were with me to lift me up. If it weren’t for them, I would not have played these matches because of these injuries, this knee problem. I need to rest and then we will have this knee surgery.”
He did not disclose details of the procedure or the expected recovery timeline.
Neymar has not played for Brazil for two years as a sequence of injuries has kept him sidelined. National team head coach Carlo Ancelotti said in October that the forward would have to regain full fitness to be considered for a recall ahead of the World Cup, which begins on 11 June across Canada, Mexico and the United States.
With surgery now imminent, his prospects of returning to international football in time for the tournament remain unclear.
