Neymar, yet another injury: future increasingly complicated

When, last January, he announced his return to Santos, the club where he became a star, many celebrated. The prodigal son’s homecoming, a chance to see one of modern soccer’s greatest talents in action again. Unfortunately, to date, Santos fans have seen the 33-year-old Brazilian in action very few times.

The problem? The usual, cursed, injuries that have been plaguing him for quite some time. The ordeal began in 2023 in Saudi Arabia when, after being paid 90 million euros by Al-Hilal, he suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his meniscus (in the national team). In fact, in Saudi Arabia, they never saw him play: seven appearances and one goal in a year and a half.

Back in his homeland, he was welcomed as a deity by the Santos people. He takes the number 10 jersey. The desire to do well is great but, once again, he has to deal with bad luck. After delighting his fans with some magic, comes the first forced stop (a month and a half).

Returning to the field, comes a new muscle injury against Atletico Mineiro that, unfortunately, is not minor. “Injury to the semimembranous muscle,” reads the Santos statement. Recovery time is still unclear but, for sure, he will have to sit out a few weeks. In short, at 33 years old, Neymar is living a real nightmare. Since October 2023 (ligament rupture with the Brazilian national team), he has not been able to recover fully. The future is getting more and more complicated.