RIO DE JANEIRO, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Paris Saint-Germain right-back Dani Alves has been ruled out of the FIFA World Cup due to a knee injury, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) said on Friday.
A re-analysis of exams showed Alves will require surgery to repair a detached anterior cruciate ligament, confirming the 35-year-old's worst fears just over a month before football's flagship tournament kicks off in Russia.
"All possible recovery options within the period [before the World Cup] have bene exhausted making it impossible to call up Daniel Alves for the preparation period, the warm-up matches and, consequently, the World Cup," the CBF said in a statement.
Alves injured his right knee while playing for PSG in their 2-0 French Cup final victory over Les Herbiers on Tuesday.
The club initially said Alves might recover after three weeks of rest but a re-evaluation by Brazil team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar found that the former Sevilla, Barcelona and Juventus defender required surgery.
"There is no mathematics in medicine, but an injury of this type needs a recovery period of six months," Lasmar told Globo Esporte.
When asked how Alves took the news, Lasmar replied: "Obviously he was upset. He's an experienced player and it's the eve of the World Cup. He wanted to know what he has to do to return. He has already turned the page so that he can come back as soon as possible."
The Selecao's other right-back options include Bayern Munich's Rafinha and Manchester City's Danilo.
The five-time World Cup champions will begin their campaign in Russia against Switzerland on June 17.
