While Neymar’s untimely injury is a huge blow to Paris Saint-Germain, it does represent a golden opportunity for Angel di Maria and other members of their expensively assembled squad.

A wheelchair-bound Neymar touched down in Brazil on Thursday for surgery on his broken foot — with the Paris Saint-Germain star facing a race to be fit for the World Cup this summer.

Brazilian superstar Neymar will undergo foot surgery on Saturday and recovery will take as long as three months, the national team doctor said Thursday.

It is now certain that Brazilian superstar Neymar will undergo surgery on his fractured foot in Brazil, ruling him out of Paris Saint-Germain’s do-or-die Champions League clash with Real Madrid on 6 March.

In Brazil, the land where football is king, Neymar’s foot injury has unleashed sharp emotions and concern, rumors and speculation about the star player upon whom so many hopes rest for World Cup victory in Russia.

Neymar still has a “small chance” of playing against Real Madrid in the Champions League and there are no plans for an operation on his cracked bone, Paris Saint-Germain coach Unai Emery said on Tuesday.

Paris Saint-Germain are preparing for a race against the clock to get Neymar ready for their Champions League crunch clash with Real Madrid next week after he suffered an ankle injury against Marseille on Sunday.

Neymar Jr., the world’s most expensive footballer, was stretchered off 10 minutes from time at the Parc des Princes on Sunday night as Paris Saint-Germain beat Marseille 3-0 and opened up a 14-point lead in Ligue 1.

Paris Saint-Germain face a huge task to reach the Champions League quarter-finals after Cristiano Ronaldo defied talk that his powers are waning with two goals as Real Madrid won 3-1 in the first leg of their last-16 tie.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Real Madrid came from behind to stun Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 in the first leg of their heavyweight Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday.