Neymar's Injury Is Not Serious, He Just Sprained His Ankle

Neymar (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - Paris Saint-Germain can breathe a little easier after learning that Neymar's ankle injury is not as bad as it might have been, according to an AFP report on Monday.

Neymar had to be stretched out of the field after being tackled by Lyon's Thiago Mendes, who was immediately red carded. The match was won by Lyon with a score of 0-1.

However, PSG's latest medical report said that the injury to the Brazilian national team player was not as bad as thought.

The 28-year-old stated that he only sprained his ankle and will undergo further tests in the next two days.

That means Neymar will likely recover in time for PSG's Champions League last-16 first leg against former club Barcelona in February 2021.

The match will be his first meeting with his Catalonia team since leaving in 2017 as the most expensive player in history with a fee of 222 million euros.

"My tears came from pain, despair, fear and anxiety about surgery, crutches and other terrible memories," wrote Neymar on his Instagram account quoted by Antara.

"It could have been worse, but once again God saved me from something more serious."

Neymar's father said his son continues to be subjected to harsh tackles from opposing players and needs more protection.

"How long will this curse last? We talk about it a lot, but we still allow acts of excessive violence," wrote Neymar.