Lasmars remain Brazil's World Cup surgeons

Lasmars remain Brazil's World Cup surgeons

Following in his father's footsteps, orthopaedic surgeon Rodrigo Lasmar's operation on superstar Neymar has proved crucial in preparing Brazil's billion-dollar team for their tilt at World Cup glory.Back in 1986, Neylor Lasmar was called upon to fix the knee of the star of the Brazilian team heading to Mexico and aiming to win a first World Cup since 1970, Zico. Although just a teenager, young Rodrigo was afforded the privilege of accompanying his father throughout that tournament.

"He met all the players, he was very involved," Neylor Lasmar recently told Brazilian daily O Estado de Minas. Now 46, Rodrigo Lasmar is carrying on the family tradition and his role in mending Neymar's broken foot is every bit as crucial to the Selecao's World Cup hopes in Russia as his father's skills had been 32 years ago. Like his father, Lasmar's reputation preceded him and his selection by Neymar for the crucial task briefly made him the most important man in his homeland.