Neymar and Iniesta: Two geniuses injured before a World Cup

Neymar's dreams for the rest of the season were cut abruptly short when he suffered a fracture to his fifth metatarsal, ruling him out for three months as he undergoes surgery to fix the injury, days before Paris Saint-Germain's important second leg clash with Real Madrid.

However, with a World Cup fast-approaching the forward is now undoubtedly prioritising his fitness for that instead of his club's potential triumph in Europe, especially as the extent of the injury has become clear.

If everything goes to plan, he should return in May, hopefully giving himself just enough time to regain match sharpness in time for the competition in Russia on June 14.

It's certainly possible, with Iniesta's performances in the tournament in South Africa in 2010 a perfect example, helping Spain to lift the trophy despite spending the majority of the season before injured.

In total, the midfielder was sidelined for more than 100 days during that 2009-10 campaign, even missing Barcelona's Champions League semi-final defeat to Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan.

Iniesta returned in May though and although he lacked confidence in the early World Cup matches, he grew into the tournament and would be pivotal to Spain in the final.

His 116th-minute goal proved decisive as Spain beat Holland 1-0 to lift the trophy for the first time in their history, ending his horrible year on an incredible high.

For Neymar, he will be hoping to emulate the success of Iniesta for Brazil. Undoubtedly the country's talisman, they will want their star forward to lead them to glory in Russia.