"Three to four months" away from football pitches. Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) announced on Monday March 6 that their Brazilian striker Neymar would undergo surgery on his right ankle "in the coming days" in Doha, Qatar. PSG's last match in Ligue 1 is scheduled for June 3, so their season is over.
The player was injured against Lille, in Ligue 1, on February 19: a sprain, which additional examinations revealed "ligament damage". In a press release, the capital club specifies that its number 10 "has presented several episodes of instability of the right ankle in recent years". In order to avoid a "major risk of recurrence", the PSG medical staff therefore recommended this "ligament repair operation". The Brazilian had been hit in the same right ankle in the first match of the Seleçao at the World Cup-2022, in Qatar, against Serbia, and only returned for the round of 16.
This announcement is a blow for the club, of which the Brazilian remains one of the main offensive assets. Despite a slowdown since his return from the World Cup, he has still scored thirteen goals and delivered eleven assists in the league this season. "To tell you that the absence of 'Ney' is trivial, no. He is one of the best passers in Ligue 1 and it is still a detrimental absence for us, ”PSG coach Christophe Galtier insisted on Friday.
dark memories
Since arriving in Paris in 2017, Neymar has missed 86 club games due to physical problems. The 31-year-old had already been removed from the group traveling to Bavaria on Wednesday March 8 for the knockout round of the Champions League (C1) against Bayern Munich.
His injury also brings back dark memories at PSG, which often had to manage without him for high-stakes matches in the premier competition. Neymar had thus injured his foot before a round of 16 second leg against Real Madrid in 2018. The following year, he had to give up a double confrontation against Manchester United and, in 2021, he was made left adductor pain before a duel against his previous club, FC Barcelona.
