Neymar's ACL injury compounds troubled start to his next chapter

MANCHESTER, England, Oct 19 (Agencies): Brazilian soccer superstar Neymar is set to have surgery after tearing both his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus in his left knee, his club Al-Hilal have confirmed. He is a major doubt for Copa America 2024.
The 31-year-old suffered the injury during Brazil's 2-0 defeat against Uruguay on Tuesday.
After battling with Uruguay's Nicolás de la Cruz for ball, Neymar collapsed to the ground clutching his knee, just before half-time. He received medical attention for several minutes before being stretchered off the field. It is the 31-year-old's second major injury this year alone and the umpteenth in a career that has been repeatedly plagued by fitness issues. Neymar had missed the second half of last season at PSG due to an ankle issue that required surgery. It's unclear if Neymar will be recovered in time for the 2024 Copa America.
However, it has become an all-too familiar sight, Neymar left the soccer field in tears.
Quite a contrast to Lionel Messi's smiles at Inter Miami and Cristiano Ronaldo's reenergised success with Portugal.
Neymar damaged his left knee in the first half of Brazil's 2-0 World Cup qualifying loss at Uruguay on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the extent of the injury was confirmed by his Saudi club Al Hilal, which said he would undergo surgery.
At the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, a knee to the back from Colombia defender Juan Zuniga in the quarterfinals ruled Neymar out of the tournament with a fractured vertebra. Then last year in Qatar, there were more tears when Neymar feared an ankle injury would cut his tournament short. Instead, it was a loss to Croatia in the quarterfinals that prematurely ended his bid to win soccer's biggest trophy.
Ronaldo and Messi turned the Ballon d'Or award for the world's best player into a personal duel at the height of their powers. But the pair recently left elite European soccer behind, with the 31-year-old Neymar also heading to the Saudi league after years of being in the shadow of two of the sport's greatest ever players.
Along with Messi and Luis Suarez, Neymar may have been part of a Barcelona forward line that won the Champions League in 2015, but he was never the main man.
Even his record 222 million euro ($270 million) move to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 did not provide the platform for him to step out in front of Ronaldo and Messi as he failed to lead the French club to a Champions League title.