Yet another major surgery puts Neymars World Cup hopes in limbo

New Delhi: Neymar is set for another spell on the sidelines after revealing he will undergo surgery on his left knee following Santos' survival from relegation in Brazil's Serie A on Sunday. The Brazil superstar is set to spend an extended period on the sidelines, putting his chances of playing the FIFA World Cup 2026 in jeopardy.

Santos secured its place in the Brazilian top division with a 3-0 win over Cruzeiro, and the 33-year-old superstar confirmed he will undergo surgery on his left knee after the match.

Santos survived a huge scare on Sunday and avoided the club's second relegation in its history in the last league match of the campaign. The iconic club was relegated in 2023 for the first time, a year after the death of club legend Pele, whose stardom helped the club achieve a global following.

Neymar was in the squad in 2023 but was unable to feature due to a torn ACL in October 2023 during a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay. However, he played through pain in the current campaign and proved crucial for Santos in its fight to survive relegation in the Brazilian championship after its promotion last year.

Neymar, who returned to Santos in January, was key to the club where he started his professional career. The former Barcelona and PSG forward was back to his prolific best in the last three rounds of the league.

He netted against Sport Recife in a 3-0 win, scored a hat trick against Juventude on Wednesday in another 3-0 triumph, and on Sunday was a potent provider.

Thaciano (26th and 28th minutes) and Joao Schmidt (60th) scored against Cruzeiro at Vila Belmiro Stadium as Santos ended the season in 12th with 47 points.

Neymar appeared in 19 of the 38 league rounds and finished with eight goals.

"I came for this, to try to help the best way I can. These have been tough weeks for me,” Neymar said after the game. "I thank those who were with me to lift me up. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't have played these matches because of these injuries, this knee problem. I need to rest, and then we will have this knee surgery," he said after the match.

Neymar didn't mention the knee injury and surgery in detail, but faces a race against time to be included in Brazil's final squad for the 2026 World Cup. Head coach Carlo Ancelotti has yet to pick the former captain since taking charge in May and had said that the player needs to be fully fit to be considered for selection.

This will be the fourth major surgery for Neymar, whose career hasn't reached its full potential due to a string of bad injuries. He underwent surgery for a left foot fracture (metatarsal bone) in 2018, right ankle ligament repair in 2023 and left knee ACL tear and meniscus tear in 2023.