The Brazilian Football Confederation, CBF, on Friday, May 11, said that Paris St Germain defender, Dani Alves, would miss the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia due to a knee injury.
Alves limped off the pitch near the end of Tuesday’s French Cup Final win over third-tier Les Herbiers, Reuters reports.
The Brazilian team doctor, Rodrigo Lasmar, flew to Paris to examine the player and decided surgery was necessary after diagnosing an injury to his right anterior cruciate ligament.
“It is clear that Daniel Alves’ call-up for the period of preparation, friendlies and consequently the World Cup, is impossible,” the CBF said in a statement.
Brazil play warm-up matches against Croatia on June 3 and Austria on June 10, before kicking off its World Cup campaign on June 17 against Switzerland.
The five-time world champions will also play Costa Rica and Serbia in the tournament group E.
The 35-year-old Alves has over 100 caps and is one of the squad’s most experienced players.
