Was Neymar Already Chronically Injured Before Joining PSG?

L’Équipe discusses Neymar’s recurring injuries with PSG, noting his pre-existing fragility at Barcelona.

The stats are staggering. Between 2017 and 2023, Neymar played in less than half of the matches with PSG. Injured for the remainder of the time, the Brazilian never truly regained his form.

These years at PSG have left a sense of frustration among Parisian supporters, and for good reason. “This feeling is reinforced by a new element that could explain the recurrence of his serious injuries to his right foot. According to corroborated Spanish sources who were around Neymar when he played for FC Barcelona, Neymar suffered from a stress fracture in the fifth metatarsal of his right foot before his transfer to PSG,” stated L’Équipe.

PSG Could Have Opted for Surgery, but…

The sports journal reached out to Dr. Éric Rolland, PSG’s physician at the time. The practitioner called for respecting medical confidentiality and declined to comment. “If this stress fracture was detected in the exams preceding his transfer, what options were available to PSG at that time?” wonders L’Équipe.

However, another doctor, a former member of the French national team, suggests that Neymar could have undergone surgery much earlier. “It might have been necessary to operate. But sometimes, these stress fractures do not worsen and do not require intervention,” says the doctor.

PSG might have also struggled to justify surgery and a several-month absence for their star player, acquired for €220 million after a tumultuous standoff with Barcelona…