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Neymar Asks for 'A New Metatarsal' in 27th Birthday Speech
February 5, 2019
Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar said he wanted "a new metatarsal" in a "tearful" speech made at a party celebrating his 27th birthday on Sunday.
The Brazilian, who turned 27 on Tuesday, is expected to be out of action until April after he suffered a fractured metatarsal in January, and he was overcome by emotion as he spoke to friends and family at the party in Paris.
Per ESPN.com, he said: "What I wanted the most as a birthday present today is a new metatarsal, so I could be on the field fighting and doing what I love the most, which is playing soccer."
ESPN relayed footage of the speech:
Neymar suffered the injury to his fifth right metatarsal in PSG's 2-0 Coupe de France win over Strasbourg on January 23. It is the same injury to the same bone that cut short his 2017-18 season in February last year.
The forward had considered cancelling the party following his injury but was convinced to go ahead with it by his friends.
"It's been very hard to be on crutches all this time. Every athlete knows how hard that is," he added.
He's set to miss a lot of games for PSG, including both legs of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie with Manchester United:
In his absence, Neymar said his team-mates have rallied around him and "are giving me all the strength possible to help me return as soon as possible."
They weren't able to beat Lyon without him on Saturday, though, and football writer Tom Williams isn't confident they'll get past United:
Not only have PSG lost Neymar for the tie, they'll also face a United side playing significantly better than when the draw was made.
The Red Devils have played 10 matches under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and they've won nine.
PSG's defeat to Lyon won't do much for their confidence without Neymar, so it's not ideal preparation for meeting United.
The Parisians still have more than enough quality to win the tie, but it could come down to whether they have the mental strength to cope without him.