Neymar Wanted To 'Give Up' After Suffering ACL Injury

Neymar admits he considered retirement after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury while representing Brazil last year. (More Football News)

🧸The Al-Hilal forward has only played 29 minutes since last October, when he sustained the serious knee injury during a 2-0 defeat to Uruguay in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.

𒀰The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star returned as a substitute in a 3-0 win over Iran's Esteghlal in the Asian Champions Elite League earlier this month, but he suffered a hamstring tear and is now expected to be sidelined until mid-December.

𒈔Speaking during an interview for Netflix's new documentary Saudi Pro League: Kickoff, the 32-year-old said his ACL injury was the worst he has experienced. 

✤"Some days when I wake up, I want to give up," he said in the documentary, which detailed his recovery. "I admit, this injury is the one that shook me the most in my career. 

🉐"I was really sad, and very down mentally for the first month. I knew it was a serious and long-term injury. Being on the sidelines is tough. 

🦹"The beginning of an injury is quite complicated. At the start, you only feel pain. I only felt the pain, I just wanted it to stop. 

﷽"I wanted to bend my knee as quickly as possible so that I could regain my movement and make the pain go away."

💜Neymar then revealed his age made his recovery all the more difficult, adding: "If you don't have the people you love by your side, your family, your friends, then it can be difficult to come back from an injury like this.

🙈"It really messes with your mind and your body. I'm not 20 any more, I was 31 when it happened. I'm very grateful to have my friends and family around."