Soccer crazy Brazilians are now worried as their superstar Neymar will be sidelined for up to three months perilously close to the eve of the World Cup after undergoing surgery on his broken foot.
Neymars doctor gave the bleak assessment on Thursday.
The worse than previously announced prognosis came as the Paris Saint-Germain striker, 26, arrived in Rio de Janeiro on an Air France flight from Paris for Saturdays operation.
The (recovery) period will be around two and a half to three months, national team surgeon Rodrigo Lasmar, who flew with Neymar, said.
The injury has not only ruled the worlds most expensive player out of PSGs make-or-break Champions League clash with Real Madrid on March 6, but more worryingly for the football-mad public in Brazil, also threatens the much-fancied national sides build-up to the World Cup, starting in Russia on June 14.
Lasmar, who will lead the surgery at a hospital in Belo Horizonte, underlined that there is no quick fix for the striker.
Its not a simple fracture, but a fracture in an important bone in the middle of the foot, Lasmar said.
Dressed in a black hoodie, a black baseball cap and wearing sunglasses, Neymar left the plane in a wheelchair. He smiled and took selfies with other passengers, before leaving on a private jet to an undisclosed destination.
The initial assessment did not appear quite as serious on Sunday, when Neymar was reported to have suffered a hairline fracture of the fifth metatarsal, as well as a twisted ankle late in PSGs 3-0 win over Marseille in Ligue 1.
Neymars father had predicted at least six weeks out, while PSG coach Unai Emery even said there remained a small chance of getting him back in time to face Real.
Lasmars assessment painted a graver picture.
Yesterday we went back to the hospital (in Paris) and made new exams that left the seriousness of the fracture very clear, he told journalists in Rio.
There was no doubt left regarding the treatment. We were unanimous in agreeing that it would have to be surgical treatment. More conservative treatment, without surgery, would present a far greater risk for refracture. We cant run that risk.
The drama is a big personal setback for Neymar who has been at the centre of the worlds footballing attention since his 222 million-euro ($264 million) move from Barcelona last August.
He has scored 28 goals in 30 appearances in all competitions for PSG since arriving. But on Sunday he looked to be in tears as he was stretchered off the field at the Parc des Princes.
PSG lost 3-1 to Real in the first leg of their European tie in Spain two weeks ago and are in danger of being knocked out of the competition in the last 16 for the second season running.
Neymar misses friendlies
Brazilians attention is entirely trained on the World Cup, where they have ambitions of walking away with a sixth title after the humiliation of crashing out 7-1 to Germany in the 2014 semi-finals on home soil a match Neymar missed after picking up an injury in the last eight against Colombia.
Even if Neymar gets back in time, he appears sure to miss two warm-up friendlies against Russia and Germany in March.
Brazilians have high hopes for the World Cup with him and many are afraid he wont be able to take part, said one fan, kiosk owner Gabriel Tavares Barreto in Rio de Janeiro.
I think hell recover in time, but thats what Brazilians are worrying about, the 21-year-old said.
Source: NAN