PSG
PSG hid extent of Neymar's ankle injury in 2018
Neymar suffered a torn ligament in his ankle as PSG tried to play down the extent of his injury which explains his poor performances at the World Cup with Brazil.
In February 2018, Neymar suffered a serious injury to his ankle and fifth metatarsal that threatened to rule him out of the World Cup and did stop him from influencing PSG's run-in as they fell to Real Madrid in the Champions League.
The injury was heavily reported on but one year later, TV Globo will publish an interview with Neymar in which he reveals that he actually tore the ligament in his ankle as PSG tried to keep it quiet. The injury can have lasting effects as it potentially destabilises the ankle and leaves a higher risk for future injury.
Neymar explains why the injury took so long to heal
"My injury before the World Cup is different to this one. Last year, I had a fractured metatarsal but I also tore the ankle ligament. For this reason, I was out much longer than anyone expected and suffered a lot more pain. The ankle takes time," said Neymar in an interview that will air on Sunday 3 March.
After his recovery and during the World Cup, Neymar did not perform as hoped. And now we have one of the reasons why: PSG did not report the injury. There were reports suggesting Neymar could return to play against Real Madrid in the days leading up to the second leg but in reality, there was never any chance.