NEYMAR
Al Hilal confirm Neymar ACL injury: how long will he be out for?
The Brazil star was stretchered off in the first half of his country’s FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying defeat to Uruguay on Tuesday.
Neymar’s worst fears have been realised. Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal, who the Brazil star moved to in the summer, have confirmed that the attacker will undergo surgery after suffering both ACL and meniscus tears in his left knee during his country’s FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier against Uruguay.
What happened to Neymar in Uruguay vs Brazil?
The 31-year-old tripped in an innocuous-looking incident just before half time in Montevideo and was immediately surrounded by concerned teammates before leaving the field on a stretcher. Footage after the match showed him greeting a young fan with his leg in a cast and using crutches.
Neymar has suffered a number of high-profile injuries during his career which have kept him out of the latter stages of the Champions League and Brazil’s 2014 World Cup semi-final on home soil, which ended in an embarrassing 7-1 thrashing by Germany on home soil. This, however, appears to be the worst of the lot, especially given his age and previous fitness issues.
Al Hilal: “Return stronger”
Al Hilal posted the following on X, formerly known as Twitter:
“The medical tests Neymar underwent confirmed the Anterior Cruciate Ligament and Meniscus tear injury in his knee. He will be going through surgery and then a treatment program that will be determined later..
Return Stronger, Neymar Jr.”
When will Neymar be back from his ACL injury? When is the 2024 Copa América?
While it varies slightly from one player to the next, most people who tear their ACL in 2023 make a full recovery and are able to continue playing sports. In general, ACL reconstruction surgery usually takes between eight and nine months to recover from. Meniscus tears are less serious and are often associated with ACL tears, which means the potential recovery time shouldn’t be any longer. However, elite-level athletes typically need to do extra strengthening and conditioning work to be able to return to the top of their sport.
Neymar will therefore have to go some to be fit for the 2024 Copa América, which starts on 20 June next year (almost eight months away to the day) and finished on 14 July.