How Big a Loss is Neymar for Brazil?

28/11/22 1131

Brazil opened the 2022 World Cup campaign with a comfortable 2-0 win over Serbia. Both goals were scored by Richarlison in the second half and Brazil fully deserved to win the game against a stubborn Serbia team.

However, the big talking point to come out of the match was the injury to star man Neymar.

The Paris Saint-Germain forward suffered an ankle injury as when he was withdrawn from the pitch, swelling was evident as he took off his boot and sock.

Neymar has been billed as one of the potential stars of the tournament but is now expected to miss at least the next two group games and possibly more should Brazil qualify for the knockout stages as expected.

Will losing Neymar have a major negative impact on the chances of Brazil winning the World Cup?

If we take Neymar’s performance in the match against Serbia, he worked hard but there no real moments of brilliance. Neymar participated in the build up to Brazil’s first goal but he did not shine.

Vinicius Junior was more impressive coming in from the left of Brazil’s attack and Richarlison scored a spectacular goal that claimed most of the headlines in the newspapers the following day.

Neymar was fouled nine times during the match with Serbia, more than any other player in the tournament and talking about his injury on Instagram, Neymar said, “Nothing in my life came easy and I've always had to work for my dreams and goals, I have never wished anyone anything bad and always helped who needed.”

“I'm injured, yes it's not nice, it will hurt but I'm sure I will have the chance to come back because I'll do everything possible to help my country, my team-mates and myself.”

The main concern for Neymar and Brazil will be the fact the former Barcelona man has had problems with his right foot in the past.

Having torn ligaments in his right ankle, Neymar missed the 2019 Copa America and was also out for a significant amount of time in 2021 with a similar injury.

However, if we take the 2019 Copa America as an example, Brazil went on to win the tournament without Neymar in their squad. They came top of a group containing Bolivia, Venezuela, and Peru before beating Paraguay, Argentina, and Peru to lift the trophy.

Neymar did play in the 2021 Copa America but Brazil lost to Argentina in the final, with Neymar scoring 2 goals in the tournament. Both goals came in the group stage against Venezuela and Peru, with Neymar failing to score in the knockout stages of the competition.

So, with the likes of Antony, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, Bruno Guimarães, and Rodrygo all available to come into the team, the absence of Neymar may not be as big a blow as it seems.

There is huge depth in terms of attacking talent in the Brazil squad and they could go on to win the 2022 World Cup without Neymar on the pitch, just as they did at the 2019 Copa America.