SUMMARY
- Neymar Jr. has been out with an ACL injury since October 2023.
- Neymar was expected to return in April 2024
Neymar Jr. was one of the big names that attended the 58th birthday party of the Brazilian legend, Romario. The event saw close friends and family of Romario in good spirits, including Neymar. However, the public appearance turned into a nightmare for the winger as he became an easy target for fat shame within the soccer community.
Neymar was injured in October 2023 while on international duty with Brazil. He underwent surgery for his ACL injury in November 2023. The winger has been undergoing rehab for the injury since then but amid the rehab, he has gained heavy weight which is visible on his face.
Neymar Jr. trolled for weight gain after injury
The images from Romario’s party went viral on social media, and it drew many comments from fans about Neymar. The majority of the comments took shots at the winger for not focusing on his diet and letting himself go. While some sections of fans were suspicious about whether images were altered to make the Brazilian look bad, however, no proof of alteration was found.
[Lance!] Neymar shows up to Romario’s birthday, and his body shape is being talked about in social media.
byu/Legitimate_Secret_79 insoccer
Comments like “when 58-year-old, Romario looks in much better shape,” “Finally, the Neymar & hazard comparisions that make sense,” “That’s not Neymar. That’s Neymore,” “Staring the Ronaldo (R9) path early,” and “Yung blud’s looking like an overweight Brazilian truck driver,” echoed the sentiments of the fans.
Neymar Jr. ruled out of Copa América 2024
Neymar was expected to return in April 2024 to take part in the title charge of Al-Hilal. However, as per the latest reports, the winger has been lagging in the recovery cycle. He might not return this season and might even miss the Copa América in the summer.
Brazil team doctor, Rodrigo Lasmar, who carried the surgery back in 2023 revealed that it is not productive to skip the recovery steps to get back into action sooner. This will put unnecessary risk on Neymar in the future. As per the latest timeline, Neymar is expected to return in August 2024, at the start of the next season.
Neymar joined Al-Hilal in the summer of 2023. He moved away from PSG after six years in another record-breaking move. There were major expectations from the winger in Saudi Arabia but the injury derailed his first season in Saudi Pro League.
Looks like Neymar has been enjoying his time off with injury… pic.twitter.com/zZ0FJjdtMS
— Project Football (@ProjectFootball) January 28, 2024
The winger only made five appearances for the Saudi club before being injured. He has scored a goal and provided three assists so far but won’t be making any more appearances this season. Neymar’s current contract runs out in the summer of 2025 with an option to extend it to 2026. The injury history of the winger might be an issue for him in any future move.