Neymar's drama. Here's Messi's reaction
3:56 PM EDT, October 19, 2023
Tuesday night into Wednesday, the football world held its breath upon news of a serious injury that Brazilian Neymar had sustained. Words of support for his former club mate were expressed by Leo Messi via Instastories.
On the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, the Brazilian team played an away game against Uruguay as part of the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. The "Canarinhos" lost 0:2, however, the score of the match was overshadowed by an injury to the team's star, Neymar.
The top scorer in the history of Brazil's national team was injured at the end of the first half. Neymar fell to the turf almost without contact with an opponent, clutching his left knee. The 31-year-old star of Al-Hilal screamed in pain, and as he was being taken off the field, tears could be seen in his eyes.
It quickly turned out that the injury is as serious as initially suspected. Neymar tore the anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his left knee, which likely rules him out of the game for the rest of the 2023/2024 season. The footballer is due to undergo surgery in a few days, however, his rehabilitation will last several months.
Words of support for the Brazilian are flowing from the entire football community . Leo Messi also reacted to Neymar's dramatic injury, posting a black-and-white photograph of both players on his Instastories, captioning it with the words "much strength!" and tagging the profile of Al-Hilal player.
Neymar and Messi played together in Barcelona from 2013-2017. During this time, the "Pride of Catalonia" won the Champions League, and also clinched two domestic championships. In July 2017, the Brazilian star transferred to the French PSG for a record 262 million dollars. Messi joined this team in 2021 and for two seasons he played in it together with Neymar.
Neymar's stay in Paris ultimately disappointed the fans. Although PSG with the Brazilian in the lineup won 5 domestic championships, the team never fulfilled the main goal set by the Qatari owners - victory in the Champions League. Neymar himself had excellent individual statistics at PSG, but disappointed in the most important games, and often struggled with many injuries. The Brazilian transferred to Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal before the 2023/2024 season.
