“He’s faking it”: Neymar's calf injury drama takes a new turn just days before the FIFA World Cup amid doubts on his fitness

Just weeks before the 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to begin, Brazilian star player Neymar has found himself with a brutal injury, which he sustained on Sunday's 3-0 defeat to Coritiba.While medical teams are constantly monitoring his situation, the timing of his injury has raised eyebrows.The 34 year old star player Neymar is reportedly all set to miss the matches against San Lorenzo and Gremio, as many feel he is “faking it”.A fan took to X and posted, “Trust me, there's no injury, he just wants to start resting and training for the world Cup. We've see this play script before.”Another fan wrote, “Neymar actually faked this injury to avoid any injury before the World Cup It’s a smart move…Let him rest those legs and muscle and be in good shape for the World Cup tournament.”A third fan commented, “injured weeks before a world cup is the most neymar thing that could ever happen. you can set your watch by this man”.A fourth fan noted, “guys he's just saving his body for the WC, use your brain ... Don't just take this opportunity to jump him for João Pedro. Do y'all really think neymar will take the chance to get injured…”While Neymar has stayed away from commenting on such controversial speculations, interestingly, the Santos head of medical, Rodrigo Zogaib, has confirmed that the star player will be fit enough by 27th May, when he is scheduled to start prepping for the World Cup.A few hours ago, as per ESPN, a recent report noted, “Sources have told ESPN that the swelling in Neymar's right calf is not minor and that the required recovery time may be longer than initially stated.”The report added, “Hence, it's unlikely that the Santos forward will be fit to play in the warm-up games against Panama and Egypt, on May 31 and June 5, respectively.”However, the Brazilian medical team have not weighed in on Neymar’s situation, as a decision about him will reportedly be taken on 27th May, days before the World Cup begins.