- PSG striker Neymar cried his eyes out before being carried off the pitch on a stretcher on Sunday.
- Neymar appeared to injure his ankle towards the end of an ill-tempered match against Marseille in Ligue 1.
- It’s possible the injury will make him unavailable for the make-or-break Champions League match against Real Madrid next week.
PSG annihilated Marseille by a 3-0 score on Sunday, but the result was marred when the club’s top striker left the field with a suspected ankle injury.
Neymar, the $275 million player who broke the world transfer fee record when he left FC Barcelona last summer, appeared to twist his ankle while chasing Marseille winger Bouna Sarr.
The Brazilian cried his eyes out, received medical treatment on the pitch, and was then stretchered off the field so the ill-tempered match could finish without him.
You can watch the incident here:
There were immediate concerns that Neymar would be unavailable for PSG’s make-or-break Champions League match against Real Madrid next week.
Real smashed PSG 3-1 in the first match earlier this month, but the French club could still progress in the tournament with a strong showing in the second game, which will be held in Paris on Tuesday, March 6.
Regardless of the injury, PSG boss Unai Emery is hopeful Neymar will still play. “If I had to pick my Real Madrid side now, I would say that Neymar could feature,” he said, according to Eurosport. “The first look says it is a sprain. There will be further tests to be totally sure.”
Neymar was treated at the American Hospital of Paris, according to Goal.com. He was officially cleared of a fracture or serious sprain of his ankle but his “health will be monitored for 48 hours.”