Brazilian player Neymar da Silva of Saudi Al-Hilal sustained a serious injury during the match between his national team and Uruguay in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers for South America. Neymar was injured in the last minute of the first half after a challenge from Nicolás De La Cruz in midfield, causing him to fall to the ground in significant pain. The 31-year-old Neymar left the field in tears due to the severity of the pain, and several medics carried him to the locker room as he was unable to walk.
Brazil's coach Fernando Diniz was forced to make an early substitution, bringing in Tottenham striker Richarlison in the 48th minute. Neymar injured his knee just minutes after Uruguay took the lead with a goal from Liverpool striker Darwin Núñez, before the Samba dancers lost the match 2-0.
Rodrigo Lasmar, the team doctor, stated in a TV interview after the match: "Neymar's injury is still uncertain; it may be a knee sprain, but we need to conduct more tests and reevaluate." He added, "The injury occurred about an hour ago. We have to wait a bit until tomorrow to see how the knee responds; it is expected to swell in this case before we conduct a clinical examination."
Spanish newspaper "Marca" pointed out that this injury is another setback for Saudi Al-Hilal, who signed Neymar while he was already injured in the final days of the last summer transfer window. Neymar had recently recovered from an ankle ligament injury with his former team, Paris Saint-Germain, which kept him sidelined from February to September of this year.
