Brazil international Neymar suffered a thigh injury during Al-Hilal’s AFC Champions League match against Esteghlal FC on Monday, just two weeks after returning to the pitch following a cruciate ligament tear.
Neymar came on in the 58th minute of Al-Hilal’s 3-0 win over Iranian opponents, but came off in the 87th minute with a thigh tear. The severity of the injury is currently unclear, as is the timeline for recovery. He had already been left out of Brazil’s squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers when it was announced on Friday, which was not surprising given the timeline of his return to action following the ACL tear.
Monday’s game was only his second of the past year, with much of that time working back from a torn ACL and meniscus in his left knee. He suffered the long-term injury in October 2022 during Brazil’s defeat to Uruguay in a World Cup qualifier, eventually returning to play with a 13-minute cameo against Al Ain of the Emirates in AFC Champions League action on 21 October.
This problem is only the latest for an injury-prone Neymar. Much of his time at Paris Saint-Germain from 2017 to 2023 was plagued by several spells on the sidelines, the most serious of which were a metatarsal fracture in early 2018 and an ankle injury that kept him out of action from November 2021 to February 2022. .
He has also made just seven appearances for Al-Hilal since his successful move to the Saudi Pro League during a summer spent in the Gulf nation as he battled a host of injuries. His Al-Hilal debut was postponed for about a month due to a muscle injury, and he played just five games last season before the cruciate ligament and meniscus tears.