Neymar has sustained a calf injury that will keep him out of Santos‘ forthcoming matches; however, he is anticipated to be fit to join the Brazil national team camp next week in preparation for the World Cup.
Rodrigo Zogaib, Santos’ head of medical, announced on Wednesday that Neymar is dealing with a 2-millimeter edema that has caused swelling in his right calf.
Despite this setback, Zogaib expressed confidence that Neymar will be ready by May 27 to begin preparations with the national team for the World Cup.
“Neymar has a minor calf injury, an edema,” Zogaib stated in an interview with Brazilian sports network ge. “However, according to our plan, his recovery trajectory suggests he will be fit to join the national team next week.”
Neymar is currently receiving treatment at Santos’ Rei Pelé Training Center with his personal medical team, and is under close observation by doctors from the Brazilian Football Confederation.
This injury announcement comes just two days after Carlo Ancelotti included Neymar in Brazil’s final 26-man roster for the tournament taking place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, marking the star’s fourth appearance in the World Cup.
Sources from ESPN reveal that Neymar’s injury raised alarms among Ancelotti’s coaching staff in the hours before the final roster was made public, as they feared it might disrupt his training schedule and availability for the friendly match against Panama on May 31.
The last appearance Neymar made for Brazil was in October 2023. Ancelotti had previously excluded Neymar from all prior selections, consistently stating that he would only choose players who were fully fit.
The injury was identified following Santos’ 3-0 home defeat to Coritiba.
Neymar had been substituted in the second half of that match after receiving treatment for the calf issue, but he was unaware he had been taken off and inadvertently returned to the field, leading to a heated exchange with the referee over what he perceived as an error with the substitution announcement.
Santos did not include Neymar in their squad for Wednesday’s Copa Sudamericana match, which ended in a 2-2 draw against San Lorenzo. He is also set to miss the upcoming Brazilian league game against Grêmio on Saturday and the final group-stage match of the Sudamericana against Deportivo Cuenca next Tuesday.
In the World Cup, Brazil will compete against Morocco, Haiti, and Scotland in Group C.
This report includes information from ESPN’s Pedro Ivo Almeida.