OH NEYMAR!
Despite Neymar’s flaws, the diving, that excruciating Mister Potato advert, the questionable clothes, the holidays to Ibiza during Covid, the knack (and subsequent 7-1 defeats), the shallow decline from Barcelona to PSG to Saudi Arabia, it was impossible not to have a modicum of sympathy for Brazil’s No 10 on Wednesday. Neymar was left writhing around in pain after the anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his left knee decided to part company during Brazil’s 2-0 World Cup qualifying defeat to Uruguay, meaning the 31-year-old now faces surgery and at least eight months on the sidelines. Is this the end? With the help of modern medicine, maybe not. Perhaps a year from now, Neymar 3.0 will still be hobbling around a pitch in Riyadh, scoring penalties in a bid to justify his £138m salary. But this might be the end of Elite Neymar, a player who last month surpassed Pelé as Brazil’s record male goalscorer. And it was not a pretty way to go out, leaving the field in tears after landing awkwardly in Montevideo. “It’s a very sad time, the worst,” he sighed. “I know I’m strong, but this time I’m going to need my family and friends even more.”
