A Brazilian football star has shown off the horror injury he received during the Cruzeiro-Atletico Mineiro derby on Monday.

The fierce clash in the municipality of Belo Horizonte in Minas Gerais State ended 1-1 after 90 minutes full of fouls, crunching tackles, and no shortage of cards.

Attacking midfielder Nikao took to Instagram following the tie to show off the horror injury he received to his leg to his 444,000 followers.

One shot shows a deep, bloody gash in the Cruzeiro star’s lower left limb, while a later snap shows it sealed up with six stitches.

Nikao, 30, took aim at the match’s referee, drily writing “Just a yellow” after Atletico Mineiro midfielder Igor Gomes avoided a sending off over the nasty foul.

The two sides faced each other off in the Campeonato Mineiro – the state football league of Minas Gerais – on 13th February.

The fixture between the two rivals is known locally as the Classico Mineiro and is often described as one of the fiercest derbies in the whole of South America.

The game has been contested 517 times, with 209 wins for Atletico Mineiro and 171 victories for Cruzeiro. The remainder – 137 – have ended in draws.

Nikao – full name Maycon Vinicius Ferreira da Cruz – hails from the municipality of Montes Claros in Minas Gerais and plays for Cruzeiro on loan from Sao Paulo.

He has spent the bulk of his career at Athletico Paranaense in the municipality of Curitiba in Parana State.