RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- Neymar said Sunday he will undergo surgery after helping Santos avoid relegation from Brazil's Serie A.

The 33-year-old revealed he had played the latter part of the season carrying an injury to his left knee, without providing details.

"I came for this, to try to help the best way I can," the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward said after Santos' 3-0 home win over Cruzeiro, a result that left the club 12th in the standings, four points clear of the relegation zone.

"These have been tough weeks for me. I thank those who were with me to lift me up. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't have played these matches because of these injuries, this knee problem. I need to rest and then we will have this knee surgery."

Neymar made just 19 of a possible 38 appearances for Santos this year and scored eight goals, having rejoined his boyhood club from Al Hilal in January.

His injury-riddled campaign followed more than a year out with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament suffered in October 2023.

Brazil's all-time leading scorer is in a race against time to be ready for next year's FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

He has not represented his country for more than two years and Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti has said he will only consider players who are fully fit and playing well for their clubs. ■