Football
Al-Hilal SFC superstar Neymar won’t play against Indian football club Mumbai City FC in the AFC Champions League 2023-24.
Neymar suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus in his left knee during Brazil’s FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier against Uruguay on Tuesday.
The star forward suffered the knock after a tackle by Uruguay’s Nicolas de la Cruz and had to be carried off the field on a stretcher. Later, MRI scans confirmed the severity of Neymar’s injury and the Brazilian forward will now need to undergo surgery and rehabilitation.
While the date of the surgery is still undecided, it’s almost certain that Neymar will miss Al-Hilal’s AFC Champions League Group D fixtures against India’s Mumbai City FC.
Al-Hilal will host MCFC at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh on October 23 before travelling to India for the away leg at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on November 7.
Ever since Al-Hilal and Mumbai City FC were drawn in the same group for the AFC Champions League 2023-24, there was considerable excitement among Indian football fans to see superstar Neymar from close. But that’s virtually ruled out.
So far, Al-Hilal are at the top of ACL 2023-24 Group D with one win and one draw from their two matches. Mumbai City FC, meanwhile, are at the bottom of the four-team group after losing both their matches.
Neymar left French giants PSG to join Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal earlier this year.