BRASILIA, Brazil – Neymar will be leaving the World Cup with his image untarnished by Brazil’s disastrous loss to Germany, widely seen as the player in charge of helping the nation recover from the historic home defeat.
Neymar’s first World Cup ended in disappointment when he was carried off the field on a stretcher with a fractured vertebra.
He was recovering at home when Brazil self-destructed in the 7-1 loss to Germany in the semifinals, helping shield him from attacks by critics ready to question his potential for greatness.
While Brazil’s national team will remain discredited for some time, Neymar’s World Cup will be remembered mostly for his good performances until the back injury prematurely ended his tournament.
Fans loudly booed Brazil’s entire team after the final whistle in the match against Germany last Tuesday. The criticism of players continued unabated and likely was to continue Saturday when the hosts will play the Netherlands for third place in Brasilia.
Neymar seems to be the only one being spared.
“Neymar is our only hero,” said Lucas Oliveira, a 15-year-old Brazilian fan in Brasilia. “The only reason Brazil lost the way it did was because Neymar wasn’t playing.”
The 22-year-old Neymar was carrying the nation’s hopes for a title at home until he took a knee in the back during the quarterfinal win over Colombia.
Neymar is expected to remain sidelined for another few weeks to fully heal from the lower back injury that resulted from a collision with Juan Camilo Zuniga.
Images of Neymar crying in pain spread around the world, but from the beginning doctors said the injury was not serious enough to jeopardize his career.
Neymar returned to Brazil’s training camp outside Rio de Janeiro on Thursday, when practice was stopped briefly so he could greet his teammates. Neymar is expected to be in Brasilia to support the team in the third-place match Saturday.
His club, Barcelona, expects Neymar back in early August to continue a recovery process that it said is progressing “very well.”
Brazilian fans can’t wait to see him back on the field, knowing that playing well and winning again may be the easiest way to try to forget the 7-1 loss Tuesday. Neymar will be 26 when the 2018 World Cup is staged in Russia.
“He can still give us a lot of happiness until then,” Brazilian fan Lavinia Silva said.
Neymar is expected to be in Brasilia to support his teammates in the third-place match Saturday, and he should be fit for the team’s first friendly after the World Cup, likely against Colombia on Sept. 5.
“I don’t know how to thank everyone for the support and for the thousands of messages that I have received,” Neymar said after the injury. “I will be back as soon as possible. When you least expect I’ll be back.”
Neymar scored four goals in his five games in the World Cup and was considered one of the standout players. Half of Brazil’s goals until then were scored by him.
Neymar has missed only seven of Brazil’s 61 matches played after he made his international debut after the 2010 World Cup. In the 54 matches he played, Brazil won 36, drew 12 and lost six. He had been in every match under Luiz Felipe Scolari since the coach took over in late 2012.
