Neymar out of World Cup 2014: Crowds gathered outside Sao Carlos Hospital to show support for Brazil striker

The poster boy of the World Cup will play no further part in the tournament

Crowds gathered outside Sao Carlos Hospital in a show of support for Neymar who was taken to the facility in Fortaleza after being taken off injured during Brazil's win over Colombia.

It was immediately clear after the striker's collision with Juan Camillo Zuniga that the damage suffered was serious.

The Barcelona striker was carried from the field on a stretcher with his hand covering the face of this tournament.

Fans flocked to Sao Carlos Hospital in a show of support for the host nations' talisman but were not rewarded with the positive news they were praying for.

Team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar broke the news that the 22-year-old would not play any further part in the tournament when he told local SportTV: "It's not serious in the sense that it doesn't need surgery, but he'll need to immobilize it to recover. Unfortunately, he's not going to be able to play."

Brazil's forward Neymar is carried on a stretcher (Getty Images)

Neymar flew to Rio de Janeiro with the rest of the Brazil squad that had managed to see out a quarter-final victory over Colombia. It's understood he was then taken by ambulance to the team's training base in Teresopolis.

Before this latest injury, that is certain to rule him out of the semi-final against Germany and the final on July 13 if the hosts make it that far, Neymar was already struggling for fitness. Knocks to both his knee and thigh dominated headlines in Brazil in the build-up to last night's quarter-final.