When Brazil faced Serbia in the FIFA World Cup 2022 on November 25, 2018, things took a serious turn. Neymar was injured in his right ankle after a tackle by Serbian defender Nikola Milenkovi. He was replaced after 10 minutes. Seventy-nine minutes of the match had passed when Neymar was finally replaced for the rest of the match. Neymar’s teammate, Marquinhos, conveyed that Neymar is going through physiotherapy 24/7. Physical therapy aims to heal injuries or other musculoskeletal problems by applying physical pressure and manipulating joints, soft tissue, and bones.
Ankle injuries are one of the most common injuries in football. An ankle injury can be a traumatic injury that causes a lot of pain and swelling. It affected Neymar’s ability to walk or even stand on his feet. The severity of ankle injuries depends on the degree of trauma and the position at which they occur. In this case, the tackle was rough for Neymar. The more severe the trauma is, the more likely it is that there will be a fracture in the ankle bones, which will require surgical treatment. However, in the Brazil vs. Serbia match, Neymar’s right ankle suffered a ligament injury during the team’s victory over Serbia. There was no sign of a fracture in the bones. Ligament damage causes pain and stiffness in the joint. The ligaments are the tough bands of tissue that connect bone to bone and provide stability to the joint.
Although team physicians haven’t yet specified a date for Neymar’s comeback or announced whether he will come back at all, he hasn’t lost optimism that he will heal. Recently, TimesOfCasino published a prediction of Brazil vs. Switzerland match, in which the reporter clearly expresses the uncertainty of Neymar’s comeback.
Ankle injuries happen due to the imbalance between the force on foot and the stability of the ankle joint. When players are running or jumping, they usually put more weight on one side than they do on the other. If their body weight shifts too far to one side, it can cause instability and lead to an ankle sprain or even a broken ankle.
After the match against Serbia, according to Brazil’s coach Tite, Neymar received treatment until 5 or 6 in the morning. In a post on Instagram on Saturday, Neymar expressed his confidence in having the chance to return. He shared pictures of his still-very-swollen ankle.
Neymar’s injury was a big blow to not just the Brazilian soccer team but also the whole country. Fortunately, he has been receiving physiotherapy treatment from Brazil’s team physician, Rodrigo Lasmar, and is now recovering faster than expected. After the game, Lasmar stated that it was still too early to determine the severity of the injury. He said that they began attending to the wound as soon as Neymar left the field.
