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Brazilian soccer star Neymar hurt his left knee while playing for his national team on Tuesday.
Neymar, who also plays for Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, will have surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his knee. The 31-year-old was playing against Uruguay in a 2026 World Cup qualifier match but was injured in the first half. He landed awkwardly and was carried off of the field on a stretcher.
Brazil lost the game 2-0.
Neymar wrote a message to fans on Instagram and said that he was very sad. He also said that he is strong, but this time he really needs support from family and friends.
It’s not clear how long Neymar will be away from playing. It can take eight to ten months to recover from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
The president of the Brazilian Football Confederation, Ednaldo Rodrigues, said that both Brazilian and world football are better with Neymar on the field.
Neymar has had a history of injuries in recent years. During the 2022 World Cup, he missed two games after getting hurt in the tournament’s first match against Serbia. While playing for Paris St-Germain in France, he also injured his ankles twice. His last season in France was cut short for ankle surgery.
The forward also had a very serious injury during the 2014 World Cup when he broke a bone in his back. Brazil won that match but later lost 7-1 to Germany in the semi-finals.
Vocabulary
- Star – a famous person; main actor in a show or movie; the best person
- Hurt – To cause pain or damage to someone; to feel pain or have an injury
- Knee – The joint that moves in the middle of your leg and connects your thigh to your lower leg; 🦵
- National team – A group of the best players from a country who play together in international competitions
- Surgery – a medical operation/action/procedure to repair or remove part of the body
- Qualifier match – A game that decides whether a team can play in a bigger tournament;
- Injure – to hurt or cause physical harm to a person or animal, especially in a way that makes it difficult for them to move or function
- Half – e.g., A soccer game is 90 minutes long. It has two 45-minute halves
- Land – to come down from the air/sky and touch the ground;
- Awkwardly – In a way that is not graceful, coordinated or usual; strange, not normal
- Stretcher – a special bed with handles used to carry injured people
- Fan – a person who likes a sport, team, or celebrity; supporter; follower
- Recover – to return or come back to normal; rally; rebound; to get back something you lost
- President – leader; the top person in a large company, organization, or country; boss
- Field – A large area of open land, especially one used for playing sports
- Have a history of something – it happened in the past many times; to have done something many times in the past
- Recently – Not long ago
- Ankle – The joint that connects your foot to your leg; the area between your foot and leg that can move
- Season – a time period or time of year when a sport is played;
- Cut short – To end something before it is finished; to make something end earlier than expected
- Forward – an attacking player in sports, like soccer or basketball, who tries to score goals or points for their team
- Bone – 🦴; A hard, white part of the body that supports the body and protects the organs
- Semi-final – The game that comes before the final game in a tournament; the winners of semi-final games go the final game
Quiz
Discussion Questions
- How do you think this injury will affect Neymar’s career?
- What do you think about Neymar’s history of injuries?
- Why do you think Neymar mentioned that he needs support from family and friends this time?
- Can you think of any famous athletes who had serious injuries and made comebacks? What do you think it takes to overcome such challenges in sports?
- English teachers looking for teaching ideas, check out my post on using easy news articles for lessons.
- English learners looking for study ideas, check out my post on using news stories for English practice.
Original Story
Fill-in-the-Blank Listening Practice
Brazilian soccer _____ Neymar hurt his left knee while playing for his national team on _____.
Neymar, who also _____ for Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, will have surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his _____. The 31-year-old was playing _____ Uruguay in a 2026 World Cup qualifier match but was injured in the _____ half. He landed awkwardly and was _____ off of the field on a stretcher.
Brazil _____ the game 2-0.
Neymar wrote a message to _____ on Instagram and said that he was very _____. He also said that he is strong, but this time he _____ needs support from family and friends.
It’s not _____ how long Neymar will be away from playing. It _____ take eight to ten months to recover from an anterior cruciate ligament _____.
The president of the _____ Football Confederation, Ednaldo Rodrigues, said that both Brazilian and world _____ are better with Neymar on the field.
Neymar _____ had a history of injuries in recent years. _____ the 2022 World Cup, he missed two games after getting _____ in the tournament’s first match against Serbia. _____ playing for Paris St-Germain in France, he also injured his _____ twice. His last season in France was cut short for ankle _____.
The forward also had a very _____ injury during the 2014 World Cup when he broke a bone in his _____. Brazil won that match but later lost 7-1 to _____ in the semi-finals.
