Injured once again in the ankle on Sunday during the Ligue 1 match against Lille, the Brazilian playmaker must race again against time to try to play in the knockout stages of the Champions League against Bayern Munich.
A force, difficult not to be a form of curse. For the fifth time since his arrival at PSG in 2017, Neymar is injured in this crucial period of February-March, where European destiny is at stake. Touched in the right ankle, Sunday February 19 against Lille, the Brazilian is again the victim of a sprain, on the same foot as during his first injury, February 25, 2018.
The only year in which the number 10 of the Seleçao was not injured during this period was in 2020, a year marked by the Covid which had led the Parisian club to the final of the Champions League. He starts yet another race against time to try to be restored for the round of 16 second leg of the Champions League in Munich. He has seventeen days left.
2018: the first serious injury, the origin of the evil
A first big blow. Then at the top of his game, “Ney” suffered a serious injury during the quarter-final of the Coupe de France against OM on February 25, 2018. A Classic which came to intersect the two Champions League matches against Real Madrid in the round of 16. Victim of a fractured fifth metatarsal and a sprained right ankle, the Brazilian must be operated on, sidelining him for three months. Consequently, he does not take part in the return match which confirms the elimination of his team against Madrid (3-1).
2019: the relapse
Author of a cannon start to the season with five goals and two assists in six Champions League games, the attacking midfielder seemed to be off to a good start during the 2018-2019 season. But three weeks before the round of 16 first leg against Manchester United, Neymar relapsed against Strasbourg in the Coupe de France on January 23. An injury similar to that of last year, at the level of his right foot, which prevents him from competing in the double confrontation against the Mancunians. PSG must do without their Brazilian star and are eliminated at the same stage as the previous season in an incredible scenario in the return match.
2021: the adductor gives way
Recovered from his ankle injuries, Neymar sees fate beating down his physique and his appointments with the Champions League. Due to a left adductor injury during a Coupe de France match (once again), on February 10, the Brazilian playmaker must withdraw from the double confrontation against his former club, Barcelona. An absence this time secondary, both PSG and Kylian Mbappé, author of a hat-trick against the Catalans, crush Barca 4-1 at Camp Nou. Also absent on the return (1-1), the Brazilian once again missed a decisive deadline with the Parisians, this time without consequence.
2022: the left ankle drops in turn
The attacking midfielder has a third tear in his ankles before an eighth in the Champions League. After two major injuries to the right one, the Brazilian suffered from a sprained left injury after a match against Saint-Étienne on November 28, 2021. Not completely recovered, but nevertheless back on February 15 for a crucial meeting, he started against Real Madrid on the bench in the first leg to deliver a decisive pass (1-0 victory), before sinking with his teammates on the return (3-1).
2023: the right ankle turns again
For forty-seven minutes, the Parc des Princes found the twirling Neymar from the start of the season. Facing Lille, four days after suffering against Bayern Munich (0-1) in the knockout stages of the Champions League, Neymar had regained wings and a number 10 position behind Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi. Passer and scorer, he ended up on a stretcher, after contact with captain Benjamin André where his right ankle turned when returning to the ground. Grinning, the Brazilian is “victim of a sprain”according to the PSG press release, and had an MRI which “does not reveal a fracture”. The length of his absence will be determined in the coming days, once his ankle has deflated and a ligament assessment can be carried out.