It has been a significant blow to Santos in his fight against relegation with ESPN announcing Wednesday that Neymar Jr. will miss the last three league matches of the club because of a new knee injury. The 33-year-old forward experienced left knee pains in the game against Mirassol on November 19 and he hence missed Monday’s 1-1 draw with Internacional. Later medical examinations found out that he had a meniscus problem, and this raised doubts about his suitability as he looks at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The troubles of Neymar follow a surgery to repair an ACL tear and broken meniscus in the same knee, two years prior. The repetition has led to doubts that the Brazilian star can physical cope with the demands of high level football. It is his fourth injury blow since rejoining Santos in January and this greatly restricts his input in a team that is in dire need of survival.
Though the report stated so, Santos have not officially officially confirmed the condition of Neymar. Club president Marcelo Teixeira announced that medical examinations were conducted in Sao Paulo on Tuesday, and they are debating the possibility of the forward still playing Friday in a critical league game against Sport.
Teixeira mentioned that the medical staff will reconvene Thursday morning and evaluate the circumstance and decide that it is viable to delay the treatment, at least in the short term, to allow Neymar to continue playing in the rest of the Brazilian Championship. The club is a position below the safety line having been beaten by a margin of one point and three games to go.
Since joining his boyhood club, Neymar has not enjoyed consistent minutes and his international career has been hampered as well since he last played with Brazil in October of 2023 when he was severely injured to his ligaments. The multiple injury setbacks have now cast doubt on his immediate position in the club and long-term prospects of the World Cup.
