Neymar done for season after requiring ankle surgery

Neymar will miss the remainder of the 2022/23 season after PSG announced the Brazilian needs ankle surgery. Neymar last played on Feb. 19, a 4-3 win over Lille where he scored and assisted. An unfortunate challenge with Andre in that game took him out just after half time.

Now, Neymar needs surgery to avoid furthering the damage to his ankle. The recovery time for the surgery, taking place in Doha, is somewhere between three and four months. Of course, by that time, the season will conclude. The latest PSG could play is June 10 in the UEFA Champions League Final. That would be a rush, however, to get Neymar back into fitness and form.

Neymar was in the midst of a largely successful season in France. He managed a blistering start to the campaign. PSG’s No. 10 scored seven goals and assisted six the first five league games. As of now, Neymar played in 29 games in all competitions. He scored 18 and provided 17 assists in those games. He helped PSG to lead Ligue Un after 26 games. PSG also remains alive in the Coupe de France and the UEFA Champions League.

However, the latter of those two is now immensely harder give the ankle surgery for Neymar. He is absent for the return leg against Bayern Munich, which PSG currently trails, 1-0.

Neymar ankle surgery comes at bad time for player and club

After the disappointment of the 2022 World Cup injuries and elimination, Neymar could have used his club campaign as a way for remedy. Certainly, joining Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi at the top would make for a formidable force against any Champions League opposition.

Instead, Neymar is set for another lengthy absence during his time in Paris. Last season, Neymar missed 12 games due to another ankle injury. In 2020/12, an adductor injury sidelined him for a total of 13 games over two stints. The two seasons before then brought two absences that were 18 and 16 games. Those both stemmed from metatarsal fractures.

When Neymar plays, he is successful. However, it is a point of more frustration for PSG. Since joining PSG, Neymar missed out on over 100 games with injury in what is now his sixth season at the club. PSG reached the Champions League Final in what was, relatively speaking, Neymar’s healthiest season. However, there was a long hiatus that could have helped the injury-prone winger.

PHOTO: IMAGO / Le Pictorium