Neymar, who played again a fortnight ago after more than a year of absence due to a serious injury, had to leave the field during the victory (3-0) in the Asian Champions League of his Saudi club of Al-Hilal against the Iranian team of Esteghlal, appearing to suffer from pain in his right thigh.
The 32-year-old Brazilian came on as a substitute at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh in the 58th minute, with Al-Hilal already leading 2-0 thanks to Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrovic scoring a hat-trick. But Brazil’s all-time top scorer appeared to suffer a thigh problem and, minutes after receiving treatment on the sidelines, he was substituted in the 86th minute. He left the field holding his right hamstring.
The Brazilian star injured his cruciate ligament and meniscus on October 17, 2023 with Brazil in a qualifying match for the 2026 World Cup against Uruguay. He played for the first time in official competition on October 21, coming on in the 77th minute against Al-Ain, in the United Arab Emirates, still in the Asian Champions League.
Before his injury, Neymar had only played five matches with the Saudi club which he joined in August 2023 from Paris SG for some 100 million euros per season, according to media reports.
