Veteran footballer Neymar Jr injured, confirmed by Santos

Forward Santos Neymar has been confirmed to have developed a fresh leg muscle injury by the club on Friday. The 33-year-old was forced to withdraw from the pitch in the 34th minute of Santos' 2-0 victory over Atletico Minero on Wednesday, with subsequent scans revealing damage to one of the hamstring muscles known as the semimembranosus.

In a statement on its official website, Santos said, "It is still too early to give any definite answer, we do not have any diagnosis yet, now we really have to pray that this is not something that keeps him out for a long time." Santos coach Cesar Sampaio said the latest injury was not a recurrence of a previous problem.

"The No. 10 has already started treatment and will continue to work on ... strengthening the muscles," Santos said. However, he did not give an estimated timeframe for recovery. Neymar has struggled with persistent soft-tissue injuries since tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in October last year.

The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star was called up to the national team for World Cup qualifiers in March after a return to form, but was later withdrawn due to another muscle injury. The 33-year-old, who has not played for Brazil since October 2023 due to a knee injury, has been replaced by Real Madrid teenage forward Andric.

"He will be re-evaluated periodically for monitoring and new treatment definitions," Santos said in the statement. It was known that these complications could occur due to periods of inactivity. Neymar has played eight games for Santos and scored three goals since returning to the club from Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal.