Neymar set to miss rest of 2025 as World Cup dreams continue to fade
The Brazilian has been struggling to stay fit since rejoining his boyhood club
World Cup hopeful Neymar may be forced to miss Santos’ remaining three league fixtures after tests revealed a meniscus problem in his left knee.
The forward is expected to require arthroscopic surgery once the campaign concludes, though the club is exploring short-term alternatives to keep him involved.
The 33-year-old was unavailable for Santos’ 1-1 draw with Internacional on Monday, having reported pain in the knee following the match against Mirassol on November 19.
Further examinations have since confirmed the meniscus issue, with sources indicating that surgery would carry an estimated recovery period of around three weeks.
Should the operation proceed as planned after the season ends, Neymar would miss the fixtures against Sport, Juventude and Cruzeiro.
For now, Santos are attempting to manage the injury in the hope of bringing him back onto the pitch temporarily, as the club continues its fight against relegation.
Neymar previously underwent surgery on the same knee two years ago to treat an ACL tear and damaged meniscus.
This latest setback is his fourth since returning to the club in January, and while no official statement has been released regarding his current condition, president Marcelo Teixeira confirmed that medical evaluations are ongoing.
“He had an exam today in Sao Paulo,” Teixeira said. “I spoke with the medical department and they are studying a way for him to be in this game [Sport]. The doctor himself hasn’t spoken to Neymar yet, he will speak to him tomorrow.
“There will be a meeting tomorrow morning to assess the situation. We will investigate how we can delay whatever needs to be done, if anything, so that we can still use Neymar in the Brazilian Championship.”
Santos sit inside the relegation zone with three matches left to play, one point from safety. Neymar has struggled for regular minutes since re-joining the club and has not represented Brazil since October 2023, when he suffered an ACL injury.
Despite his fitness troubles, Brazil’s all-time leading scorer remains hopeful of featuring at the 2026 World Cup, though national team coach Carlo Ancelotti has stressed that Neymar must prove his physical readiness before being considered.