Neymar Jr has been ruled out of the FIFA World Cup group stage matches after picking up an injury and may likely not play in Qatar again if Brazil don’t advance to the next round.
Brazil won’t rule Neymar out of the World Cup, but after injuring his ankle against Serbia, he probably won’t play again until the knockout stages.
The Real Madrid striker Rodrygo will likely take his place against Switzerland on Monday, and Tite won’t risk his playmaker against Cameroon in the third group game if he believes Brazil can advance without him.
The two remaining group games will be played without right-back Danilo, who also sustained an ankle injury against Serbia. Danilo’s absence could allow Dani Alves, who is 39 years old, to make his first Qatar World Cup appearance.
It will come down to Militao or former Barcelona fullback Alves, who is currently playing in Mexico for other defensive roles.
In the second half of the match against the Serbs, Neymar twisted his right ankle. Before being replaced by Antony in the 80th minute, he attempted to continue but broke down in tears and was attended to on the pitch.
He has been hampered by injuries for the third World Cup in a row. He suffered a back injury in a 2014 quarterfinal.
@ProFootballDoc would love to get your opinion on this Neymar injury from today. He play 10 minutes more after this and assisted with the goals. Fears he could be heavily impacted for rest of World Cup. Swollen ankle after game. pic.twitter.com/WxYmXbUq8h
— Dan Coral (@Dan_Coral) November 24, 2022
He missed three months of the World Cup in 2018 due to a broken foot. Brazil, however, has greater artistic backing this time.
Richarlison, a forward for Tottenham, scored twice on Thursday to lead his team to a 2-0 victory. The second volley was magnificent.
Alisson, the Liverpool goalkeeper, said of the youngster, “He’s an amazing talent and really important for us.”
“Attacking and defending he puts so much in on the pitch for the good of the team. I’m really happy and proud for him scoring two and one of them was such a fantastic goal, it was amazing.”
Manchester United winger Antony added about Richarlison: ‘He’s a great guy and he deserves it. That’s Richarlison, you give him a chance, and he scores.’
‘You should see him in training. He shoots from anywhere and everywhere, all sorts of angles. He’s an incredible player.’
Rodrigo Lasmar, the team physician for Brazil, described the severity of Neymar and Danilo’s wounds saying: ‘Players Neymar and Danilo started treatment yesterday (Thursday), immediately after our game.’
It was feared that the tournament would end up repeating itself in 2014, when Neymar, who had essentially carried Brazil to the quarterfinal stage, was carried out on a stretcher after suffering a back injury against Colombia.
Though Brazil eventually prevailed, his injury had a significant effect on his teammates and may have played a part in their stunning defeat to eventual champion Germany in the semi-final.
Neymar is without a doubt Brazil’s key player and unquestionably holds the keys to any hopes they may have of winning their first World Cup crown since 2002 – their sixth overall – despite Tite having access to a wide range of attacking talent.
Neymar For Brazil
Neymar is Brazil’s second-highest scorer with 75 goals in 122 games since making his debut at the age of 18, only behind Pelé.
He had a significant role in Brazil’s win at the 2011 South American Youth Championship, when he finished as the tournament’s top scorer. He also won a silver medal for Brazil in the men’s football competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
He won the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup and the Golden Ball the following year.
After being sidelined by injuries and a suspension from the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2015 Copa América, respectively, he captained Brazil to their first Olympic gold medal in men’s football at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Despite giving up the captaincy, he played in the 2018 World Cup and, after being injured and missing the 2019 Copa América, he led Brazil to a runner-up result at the 2021 competition.
