Neymar was kneed by Colombia defender Juan Camilo Zuniga late in the second half of Brazil's 2-1 win over Colombia in Fortaleza on Friday.
And an X-ray shown on Brazilian TV reveals the 22-year-old striker suffered a clean break of his vertebra.
The injury rules Neymar out of the rest of the World Cup and will keep him sidelined for four weeks but he is not expected to need surgery, according to the Brazilian FA.
Neymar flew back to Rio de Janeiro with the rest of his Brazil team-mates after Friday's victory and and rode the rest of the way to the team's camp in the mountain city of Teresopolis by ambulance.
There were emotional scenes on the Rio airport tarmac as the Brazil squad wished their star man well as he prepared to board the ambulance. A number of stars, such as Thiago Silva and David Luiz, were clearly overwhelmed by the situation in footage released by the Brazilian FA.
It was not immediately clear if Neymar would remain with the rest of the team as they prepare for Tuesday's World Cup semi-final against Germany in Belo Horizonte. The squad isn't expected to leave the training camp until Monday.
Tributes poured in for the Neymar, with the likes of Mesut Ozil, Lionel Messi and Mario Balotelli wishing the striker well. Neymar's Barcelona team-mate Messi wrote on his Facebook page:
'Neymar, I hope you recover very soon friend!'
Neymar - the poster boy of the World Cup - was hurt in the 86th minute, falling to the ground in pain after Zuniga jumped into him from behind.
He was carried off the field in tears on a stretcher and 'screamed in pain in the dressing room' before being taken to the hospital. Images show Neymar on a drip as he arrives at the hospital.
Crowds of Brazilian fans swelled outside the Sao Carlos Hospital in Fortaleza as news filtered through that their hero had been taken there.
Zuniga said: 'It was a normal move. I never meant to hurt a player. I was on the field, playing for the shirt from my country, not without the intent to injure. I was just defending my shirt.'
'Everybody knew that Neymar would be hunted,' Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said after the game. 'It's been happening in the last three matches and we had been talking about it. But nobody listens to us.'
Friday's match ended with 54 fouls in total - 31 by Brazil and 23 by Colombia. Scolari said Spanish referee Carlos Velasco Carballo should have done more to take control of the match.
According to Brazilian striker Hulk, Neymar needs more protection from the officials. 'Every time is like this. Players always come after Neymar,' Hulk said. 'The referees need to do more to keep this from happening.'
Music : Laid Back Guitars by KevinMacLeod
Source : DailyMail , CBF
No comments:
Post a Comment