Neymar Jr. Suffers Sprained Ankle in PSG Loss

Neymar Jr. of Brazil in 2018
Neymar Jr. of Brazil in 2018. Photo by Joe Toth/BPI/Shutterstock (9982395ds)

Star PSG forward Neymar Jr. caused a huge scare for soccer fans all around the world after he was stretchered off of the field in the final minutes of his team’s 0-1 loss against Lyon on Sunday night.

The Brazilian superstar, who has dealt with multiple leg injuries throughout his career, was taken down after a hard challenge by Thiago Mendes in stoppage time as PSG looked to push for an equalizer.

Mendes was shown a red card for the tackle while Neymar laid on the ground crying, leading many to assume the worst about an injury that looked to be very serious.

While no injury is good news, PSG and its fans were given a bit of reassurance on Monday, after the team announced that initial testing had revealed the 27-year-old star’s injury to be an ankle sprain.

No specific severity was given, nor was a timeline for his return to the pitch, but the team did state in its press note that more testing would be carried out on Wednesday.

PSG, who was drawn to face FC Barcelona in Round 16 of the Champions League, and currently a point behind Lille and Lyon for first place in Ligue 1, hope that their star forward will be able to return shortly.

Neymar has scored 9 goals and provided 5 assists in 12 Ligue 1 and Champions League matches so far this season.