Neymar injury: Potential return date for Brazil star after year out

18 October 2023. The last time Neymar Jr. graced a football pitch.

The mercurial Brazilian has been hindered by significant injuries across his glistening career but his latest spell on the sidelines has lasted an entire year. The Copa America has been and gone, the Saudi Pro League has barely noticed his presence and football's great trickster has faded into the background.

But Neymar's spell in the treatment room is drawing to a close. The 32-year-old, who may yet have a few good years left in the tank, is edging closer to his comeback, with Brazilians rejoicing at the restoration of their fleet-footed superstar.

Here is the latest injury news regarding Neymar.

What injury does Neymar have?

While donning the fabled yellow and blue kit of Brazil, Neymar suffered the worst injury of his career this time last year. Facing Uruguay in a 2026 World Cup qualifier - a game Brazil would lose 2-0 - the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward was struck down by an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury before the break.

With tear-filled eyes, Neymar was carried off on a stretcher and underwent surgery to correct the issue. It was the first ACL tear of an injury-strewn career but it's an injury that takes months not weeks to recover from.

Neymar had only just made the move to Al Hilal in the summer of 2023 and had already struggled with a muscle injury during the first few weeks of his time in Saudi Arabia. He has managed just five games for the Saudi Pro League outfit, although he still technically won the league title in his debut campaign.

When will Neymar return from injury?

After a long period on the sidelines, Neymar is set to make his return to the pitch imminently. In fact, according to ESPN Brazil, the South American could make his comeback in the AFC Champions League during Al Hilal's clash with Al Ain on Monday 21 October.

Of course, Al Hilal will want to be incredibly careful with integrating Neymar back into the first-team squad given the significant length of his absence. He's unlikely to find himself straight back in the starting lineup and may be eased into action by manager Jorge Jesus.

If all goes to plan, Neymar could be back in a Brazil jersey by November. The Selecao's next match is away at Venezuela on 14 November but it remains to be seen whether Dorival Junior will include him in next month's squad.

As things stand, Neymar has missed a staggering 69 matches for club and country. 55 of those games were with Al Hilal and a further 14 with Brazil, including last summer's underwhelming Copa America campaign.

It's by far the most devastating injury of Neymar's career, with his ankle issue in 2022/23 only keeping him out for a comparatively palatable 130 days. In that period, he missed 15 games for Paris Saint-Germain.