Yesterday in Santos, forward Neymar successfully underwent arthroscopic knee surgery. The Saudi club Al-Hilal, for whom the Brazilian plays, and his former club Barcelona are hoping this will help him fully recover and secure a place in Brazil's squad for next year's FIFA World Cup. The 33-year-old player returned to his boyhood club Santos in January and played a key role in keeping the team in the Brazilian Serie A, playing through pain and scoring five goals in his last four matches. Santos said in a statement yesterday that the surgery was performed by Brazil team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar. The club added: 'An arthroscopic surgery was performed to treat a cartilage injury. The surgery was successful and the player is in good condition.' Santos did not provide a timeline for his return to the pitch, though Brazilian network Globo Esporte reported that his recovery could take up to a month. Neymar, Brazil's all-time top scorer with 79 goals, has not played for the five-time world champions since 2023 due to a series of injuries. Last October, Brazil's coach Carlo Ancelotti said the player would need to be fit if he wanted to be called up to the team for the 2026 World Cup, to be held from June 11 to July 19 in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Brazil will face Scotland, Morocco, and Haiti in Group C.
