PSG Star Neymar to Miss Rest of Season After Ankle Surgery

The Brazilian forward has not played since being stretchered off the field against Lille on Feb. 19.

PARIS (AP) — Brazilian soccer player Neymar will undergo season-ending surgery on his damaged right ankle and will be out for up to four months, French club Paris Saint-Germain said Monday.

Neymar will miss PSG’s Champions League match at Bayern Munich on Wednesday and will be operated on in the coming days at a hospital in Doha, the Qatari-backed club said.

“Neymar Jr. has presented several episodes of instability of the right ankle in recent years,” PSG said in a statement. “Following his last sprain on February 20, the Paris Saint-Germain medical staff recommended a ligament repair operation to avoid a major risk of recurrence. All the experts consulted have confirmed this necessity.”

Neymar picked up his latest injury last month in a 4–3 win over Lille in the French league. He also injured his right ankle in Brazil’s opening match at last year’s World Cup in Qatar, but he was able to return later in the tournament.

Neymar has not played with PSG since he was stretchered off the field against Lille, but his absence has coincided with his team’s resurgence as Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi raised their level in recent weeks.

PSG trails Bayern 1–0 ahead of the second leg in the round of 16 of the Champions League.

It’s not the first time the Brazil forward has missed important games with PSG. Neymar has been sidelined for spells with foot, groin, rib and ankle injuries since joining the club for a record 222 million euros ($269 million) from Barcelona in 2017.

In 2018, Neymar suffered a foot injury before an important Champions League match against Real Madrid. PSG was eliminated by the Spanish club in the last 16.

A year later, he missed the last 16 against Manchester United. Neymar was injured again in 2021 when PSG faced Barcelona because of an injury to his left adductor.