Neymar has described his latest serious injury as perhaps his lowest point in the game.
"It's a very sad time, the worst," he wrote on Instagram. "I know I'm strong, but this time I'm going to need my family and friends even more.
"It's not easy to go through injury and surgery, imagine going through it all again after four months of recovery."
Neymar's career has been plagued with injuries. He spent three lengthy spells on the sidelines with his former club Paris Saint-Germain after sustaining right foot injuries.
At the 2014 World Cup he suffered a back injury in the quarter-final victory over Colombia, ruling him out of the 7-1 semi-final defeat by Germany.
In 2018, injuries again hampered his dream of winning the World Cup. Early that year, Neymar had suffered a sprained right ankle that affected the fifth metatarsal in his foot.
He missed 16 games for PSG at the end of the 2017-18 domestic season and was never fully fit as he played through the pain for Brazil in Russia until they were knocked out by Belgium in the quarter-finals.
The forward suffered similar injuries in 2019, 2021 and at last year's Qatar World Cup.
The latest injury will be a bitter blow to Al-Hilal, who paid a reported £78million for his transfer plus a £2.65m weekly wage.
The club are unbeaten in the Saudi Pro League and lead by one point, while they are also top of their AFC Champions League group after two games.
