Neymar's golden foot to go under the knife

BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil — Brazil and Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar was to undergo surgery for a broken right foot Saturday, putting the planet's most expensive footballer out of action until the eve of the World Cup.

The operation, performed by national team surgeonRodrigoLasmar,was expected early morning in the Mater Dei hospital in Belo Horizonte, where Neymar checked in the previous night.

Jose Luiz Runco, a former chief medical officer for the Brazilian team, told AFP that the surgery to mend the broken fifth metatarsal "is not difficult" and should take between one hour and 90 minutes.

What concerns Brazil and PSG is how long it will take Neymar to get back on the field, scoring goals.

Lasmar describes the break as serious and says that recovery will take from two and a half to three months.

That leaves PSG without the striker -- whose transfer from Barcelona cost the club a record 222 millioneuro($264million)lastAugust – when they face Real Madrid in a make-or-break Champions League clash next Tuesday.

Neymar has scored 28 goals in 30 appearances in all competitions for PSG since arriving,aprolificperformance cut short by the injury on February 25 during PSG's 3-0 drubbing of Marseille.

Brazil's concern is that Neymar will be coming back only a few weeks before the June start of the World Cup in Russia.

After a remarkable turnaround in fortunes since the shambolic exit in a 7-1 defeat against Germany in the 2014 cup, Brazil is seen as a top contender this time.

A big part of that optimism, though, depends on the talented Neymar.