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• Neymar wanted to 'give up' after suffering ACL injury

  Neymar admits he considered retirement after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury while representing Brazil last year.

  The Al-Hilal forward has only played 29 minutes since last October, when he sustained the serious knee injury during a 2-0 defeat to Uruguay in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.

  The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star returned as a substitute in a 3-0 win over Iran's Esteghlal in the Asian Champions Elite League earlier this month, but he suffered a hamstring tear and is now expected to be sidelined until mid-December.

  Speaking during an interview for Netflix's new documentary Saudi Pro League: Kickoff, the 32-year-old said his ACL injury was the worst he has experienced. 

  "Some days when I wake up, I want to give up," he said in the documentary, which detailed his recovery. "I admit, this injury is the one that shook me the most in my career. 

  "I was really sad, and very down mentally for the first month. I knew it was a serious and long-term injury. Being on the sidelines is tough. 

  "The beginning of an injury is quite complicated. At the start, you only feel pain. I only felt the pain, I just wanted it to stop. 

  "I wanted to bend my knee as quickly as possible so that I could regain my movement and make the pain go away."

  Neymar then revealed his age made his recovery all the more difficult, adding: "If you don't have the people you love by your side, your family, your friends, then it can be difficult to come back from an injury like this.

  "It really messes with your mind and your body. I'm not 20 any more, I was 31 when it happened. I'm very grateful to have my friends and family around."

• Ramos in 'final phase' of recovery, says PSG boss Luis Enrique

  Luis Enrique confirmed that Paris Saint-Germain striker Goncalo Ramos is nearing a return to action after sustaining an ankle injury on the opening day of the season. 

  Ramos, who scored 14 goals in 40 appearances in all competitions in his debut season for PSG last year, has not featured for the Parisiens since their 4-1 win over Le Havre in August.

  But despite his absence, Luis Enrique's side sit top of the Ligue 1 standings ahead of welcoming Toulouse to the Parc des Princes this Friday. 

  They are also the top scorers in the division, netting 33 goals in 11 matches so far, nine more than Marseille, who are second in the scoring table. 

  And as the hectic festive schedule kickstarts, Luis Enrique revealed Ramos has already returned to full first-team training. 

  "It was the 25th and that is in a few days, so it is the final phase of his recovery," Luis Enrique told reporters.

  "As for when he is available (to play) we do not know. We will see in training, he is doing really well and is in full training."

  Following Friday's fixture against Toulouse, PSG travel to the Allianz Arena to face Bayern Munich in the Champions League, hoping to ignite their European campaign. 

  The Ligue 1 champions are at risk of failing to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition having taken four points from their first four games this season.

  They currently sit 25th in the new 36-team league table, and with an important week coming up, Luis Enrique insisted he would think about rotating his squad. 

  "You mustn't only think about the game against Toulouse but also the workload for players with their national teams," he said. 

  "So we will make decisions based on what we think. We want to win against Toulouse, which is our main target."

  Ousmane Dembele did not feature during the international break after he left the France training camp with a hamstring issue, though he is expected to feature this Friday. 

  "In theory, it was nothing serious. I don't think it was a big issue and these things happen during the season," Luis Enrique said.

  "It is normal with such a busy schedule, he should be available to play."

  While Toulouse sit 10th in the league standings, they will provide PSG with a difficult test. They come into the game on the back of three consecutive wins, all without conceding a goal. 

  PSG have also not won any of their last two meetings against Toulouse (D1 L1), and could go three games without a win against the Violets for the second time in the 21st century after a winless streak between December 2007 to October 2009 (five). 

• Neymar should have won five Ballons d'Or, claims Buffon

  Neymar should have won the Ballon d'Or five times, so says Gianluigi Buffon.

  Italy great Buffon played alongside Neymar at Paris Saint-Germain for a season in 2018-19.

  Neymar joined PSG in a world-record transfer from Barcelona in 2017, but was unable to drive the French club to their maiden Champions League trophy.

  He left in 2023 to join Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, but has hardly featured for the Asian giants. He is back on the sidelines due to a hamstring issue, having only just returned from a year-long lay-off after sustaining an anterior crucial ligament (ACL) injury.

  Neymar was tipped for greatness when he moved to Europe from Santos, but despite a glittering career, especially at Barcelona, he never has managed to win the Ballon d'Or.

  And that is something that upsets his former club-mate Buffon.

  "It's hard to pick a rival," Buffon told Corriere della Sera

  "I've played against three generations: Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Andres Iniesta… Choose one? Neymar.

  "For the player he is and the person he is, he should have won five Ballons d'Or."

  Even at PSG, Neymar was often overshadowed by Kylian Mbappe.

  When Messi joined that deadly duo in 2021, meanwhile, the trio could not have the impact on the European stage that PSG's Qatari owners would have wished for.