Neymar thanks fans for support ahead of surgery

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Paris Saint-Germain's Brazilian striker Neymar Wednesday thanked his fans for their support after he suffered a sprained ankle and fractured metatarsal at the weekend.

"Thank you for all the messages!!", he wrote in Portuguese, French and English on his Instagram page.

The forward also shared a picture of himself lying on the floor in the moments after he was injured during PSG's 3-0 win against Olympique de Marseille in French Ligue 1.

"Obstacles should not stop you, if you come across a wall, don't give up. Find out how to climb it," he wrote.

The message racked up almost a million "likes," among them his girlfriend, the famous Brazilian soap opera actress Bruna Marquezine.

The Brazilian superstar will undergo surgery on his fractured foot in Brazil as early as Thursday, ruling the world's most expensive footballer out of PSG's do-or-die Champions League clash with Real Madrid.

PSG said Wednesday that Rodrigo Lasmar, the surgeon with the Brazilian national squad, will carry out the operation with several Brazilian media outlets reporting that the surgery would take place as early as Thursday.

Radio Tupi said Neymar, his father and surgeon Lasmar left Paris Wednesday night for Belo Horizonte's Mater Dei Hospital where the operation is set for Thursday according to O Globo newspaper, one of Brazil's leading dailies.

The injury could leave Neymar off the field for the rest of the European season, but he is expected to be fit for the World Cup starting in Russia in June, when Brazil will seek their sixth trophy.