It’s been a year of ups and downs for Brazilian forward Neymar. Just when things seemed to be going in his favor shortly after breaking Brazil legend Pele’s goal-scoring record and scoring his first goal for his new club Al Hilal, Neymar was stretchered off in Brazil’s 2-0 loss to Uruguay recently. Following his latest injury, a Brazilian journalist has hinted that Neymar’s best days could be behind him.
After securing his big-money move to Saudi club Al Hilal earlier this summer, it took some time for the Brazilian star to make his full debut as he was returning from an injury he picked up in February while at PSG. However, injuries just cannot seem to stop following him. After the most recent setback, claims of Neymar looking ‘fed up’ with soccer have gone viral.
Brazilian journalist makes strong claim after Neymar faced another unfortunate injury
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Neymar’s horrible injury against Uruguay has been reported as a meniscus and ACL tear after he was stretchered off before halftime as Brazil succumbed to a 2-0 loss. The Brazilian forward could be out for another 9 months according to reports. This has led Brazilian journalist Mauro Cezar Pereira to comment on the Al Hilal forward’s career from here on out.
As reported by UOL Brazil, Pereira said, “Neymar will be 32 when he plays again, who knows when. So he’s obviously already at another stage in his career and he also seems to me to be a bit fed up, he doesn’t seem like a guy who wants to play – ‘oh, soccer, what a wonderful thing’. No, he seems a bit fed up.”
Further contemplating Neymar’s impending return while reflecting on his failure to live up to his potential, Pereira said, “I find it very difficult to imagine what this return will be like and, even if it’s by crooked means because we always regret player injuries, it will force Brazil to break a link that isn’t very justified, which is this link with Neymar as if he were in fact the star that we imagined he could be back then, which he didn’t become.”
Pereira’s comments seem to mirror what journalists and pundits like Walter Casagrande earlier suggested, that Neymar is in fact, the ‘biggest wasted talent‘ in soccer history. While Neymar is arguably an integral part of Fernando Diniz’s Brazil side, the truth is that Brazil played poorly on the night against Uruguay failing to be decisive, and ended up losing the game. After the Selecao’s poor showing, Brazil and Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr. commented on his performance and the team’s collective performance against Uruguay.
Vinicius Jr.’s response to loss against Uruguay
Brazil lost to a rampant Uruguay side, as goals from Darwin Nunez in the 42nd minute and Nicolas de la Cruz in the 77th minute gave the Uruguayans the win on the night. Nunez scored with a well-timed header and then assisted Nicolas de la Cruz for Uruguay’s second on the night, in a memorable performance by the Liverpool striker. Nunez was indeed at the heart of Uruguay’s attacking play and showed why Jurgen Klopp’s Reds shelled out the amount of money they did for the towering center-forward.
But for Brazil, this loss came following Selecao drawing 1-1 against Venezuela earlier this month, leaving Fernando Diniz’s side with just 1 point in their last 2 games in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Furthermore, this was Brazil’s first defeat to Uruguay in the CONMEBOL qualifiers in 22 years.
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Brazil didn’t manage to register a single shot on target in the entire game against Uruguay despite having the bulk of possession ending their 37-game unbeaten streak in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers stretching back to 2015.
Speaking after the shocking loss Vinicius Jr. said, “I was very bad in the game. I have a lot to improve, the team also has a lot to improve. But it’s about having a clear head to be able to do the best for the team.”
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With Neymar likely to return for Brazil only in 2024, it seems like Fernando Diniz’s side will have to pick up the pieces, and look to their younger emerging players to step up and keep Brazil on track for qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
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