Footage of Neymar going through ACL treatment goes viral

Following his departure from Paris Saint Germain, Neymar became the latest in a series of players who took their talents to Saudi Arabia when he joined Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League. This felt different, though, as the Brazilian is legitimately one of the very best footballers on the planet and many were excited to see what sort of carnage he could cause in the league.

Unfortunately, though, not long after his move, the forward was struck down with one of the worst possible injuries that a footballer can get, a torn ACL. It’s a career-altering setback and one that many players don’t quite fully recover from. Tearing your ACL is an incredibly painful injury, but it seems the recovery process hurts just as much.

In a video that’s gone viral on social media, Neymar’s recovery process is well underway, but it’s quite a brutal watch. We were in pain just watching it.

Often, suffering an injury is only the beginning of the pain and the recovery process can hurt just as much, if not more, for the athlete in question. That could very well be the case for Neymar, who looked to be in agony in the video of his treatment that has been shared on social media. A compilation of different clips throughout the process shows the Brazilian either grimacing in pain, screaming in agony or shouting out.

It doesn’t look like a pleasant experience at all, but it’s the sort of lengths that professional athletes go through to try and ensure they get back to 100% for when they get back into action. With ACL injuries, it’s difficult for anyone to get back to the heights they were at before the injury, but it’s clear that Neymar is willing to do whatever it takes to try and overcome the setback.

It seems as though when all is said and done, there will be a sense of ‘what if’ surrounding Neymar and his career. When he’s fit and healthy, there are few footballers on the planet who are capable of terrorising defences in the manner in which he can. His time at Barcelona showed just how dangerous he can be, and it looked as though he would usurp Lionel Messi as the best player in the world at one time.

A move to PSG promised so much, but he spent large portions of his time in France ravaged by injuriesand it became a common occurrence to see him ruled out of action and sitting on the sidelines. If you were hoping his move to Saudi Arabia would bring about better fortunes, then you’d have been disappointed, as Neymar played just five times for Al Hilal before he tore his ACL, and he’s been out ever since. Hopefully, he’ll make a full recovery and be back at his best in no time, but at 31 years old, that’s a bit of a tall task.