"Be strong warrior!" - Real Madrid legend sends message to Neymar after ACL injury is confirmed
Former Real Madrid and Brazil national team star Kaka has asked Neymar to stay strong after the latter confirmed he needed surgery due to an ACL problem.
The Al-Hilal forward sustained the injury during Brazil’s 2-0 World Cup qualifying loss to Uruguay on October 17. Neymar was stretchered off the field in tears after feeling something in his knee.
Taking to Instagram, the 31-year-old forward penned an emotional message thanking people for their support. He wrote:
"It's a very sad moment, the worst. I know I'm strong but this time I'll need my (family and friends) even more. It's not easy going through injury and surgery, imagine going through all that again after 4 months of recovery."
He added:
"I have faith, even too much...But the strength I put in the hands of God so that he can renew mine. Thanks for the messages of support and love."
Reacting to the post, fellow compatriot Kaka commented:
"Be strong warrior! The lord is with you and so are we."
Kaka shared the pitch eight times with the 31-year-old for Brazil, managing two joint goal contributions.
The ex-Paris Saint-Germain forward was substituted at the stroke of half-time during the recent qualifier match. While on the pitch, he managed 22 accurate passes from 31 attempts, successfully completed two of his four dribbles, and drew one foul.
Kaka named Neymar as his favourite player over Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
Brazilian legend Kaka named former national team colleague Neymar as his favourite footballer while speaking ahead of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar last year. While representing his country, Kaka managed 92 international caps, bagging 29 goals and won the World Cup in 2002.
While picking his favorite player, Kaka chose the former Barcelona star over footballing greats Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. In an interview with Marca, he said (via Goal):
"I don't know if it's because we have a great personal relationship but I love how Neymar plays. "Of course I like to see others like [Kylian] Mbappe, [Lionel] Messi, Cristiano [Ronaldo] or Vinicius himself but I'll stick with 'Ney'."
Neymar has registered 128 caps for his national team, bagging 79 goals and 59 assists in the process. However, he is yet to win a World Cup trophy with his country.