Neymar da Silva Santos Junior, commonly known as Neymar, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for Paris Saint-Germain and the Brazil national team. He is widely regarded as one of the best players in the world and has won numerous awards, including the Ballon d’Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year. He is also the most expensive player in history, having been transferred from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain for a record-breaking fee of €222 million.
Neymar has had a long and successful career, but he has also had his fair share of injuries. One of the most notable injuries he has suffered was in February 2019, when he suffered a fractured metatarsal in his right foot. This injury kept him out of action for three months, and he missed a total of 16 games for Paris Saint-Germain.
However, Neymar has also had to miss games due to an unusual reason: his sister Rafaella’s birthday. Rafaella’s birthday falls on the same day as the Champions League final, and Neymar has had to miss several games due to this coincidence. In 2017, he missed the Champions League final against Juventus due to a thigh injury, and in 2018 he missed the Champions League final against Real Madrid due to a foot injury.
This has led to some people referring to Rafaella’s birthday as a “cursed” day for Neymar, as it has caused him to miss out on some of the biggest games of his career. However, it appears that Neymar is not the only one affected by this “curse”. In 2019, Neymar’s teammate Kylian Mbappe also had to miss the Champions League final due to an ankle injury.
So, how many games has Neymar missed on Rafaella’s birthday? In total, Neymar has missed four games due to injuries on his sister’s birthday: the 2017 Champions League final, the 2018 Champions League final, a Ligue 1 match against Lille in 2019, and a Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund in 2020.
Unfortunately, it appears that Neymar is once again injured and is set to miss more games due to his sister’s birthday. He suffered a thigh injury in a match against Lyon in April 2021 and is expected to be out for at least a month. This means that he will miss the Champions League semi-final against Manchester City, as well as the Champions League final if Paris Saint-Germain make it that far.
It remains to be seen if Neymar will be able to overcome this “curse” and play in the Champions League final this year. However, one thing is for sure: Neymar’s sister Rafaella’s birthday has certainly been an unlucky day for the Brazilian superstar.