Brazil's Unquestioned Star? Neymar's Global Tournament Race Against Time
While Ousmane Dembele received the prestigious football award in the autumn months, the Brazilian sensation was receiving treatment for his third injury of the year - while participating in an online poker tournament.
The 33-year-old Brazilian ace ultimately finished as runner-up, securing around seventy-three thousand pounds in tournament winnings.
It was limited solace on a day when he had to watch the player who previously succeeded him at Barcelona lift the award he had consistently dreamed to win.
After coming back to his youth team Santos in January, the 33-year-old forward has fallen short of expectations, attracting more attention for episodes like this than for his football.
His homecoming after a dozen campaigns away was meant to be a chance for him to return to peak condition and, most importantly, rekindle a passion for the game that seemed gone after frustrating spells with PSG and Al Hilal.
Instead, it has been widely disappointing for each stakeholder.
Such is the situation that the main question being asked right now in Brazil is whether Neymar will participate in the upcoming global tournament.
He's facing a deadline.
"Even the stars have to demonstrate that they are fit. The clock is ticking [for him]," Brazilian legend Tostao wrote in his regular feature.
On midweek, Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti announced his team selection for the upcoming games against South Korea and Japan and, yet again, Neymar was not in it.
"O Principe", as he was dubbed when received at Santos in a reference to the legend Pelé, is yet to play under Ancelotti, having been missing from the national team for two years.
He continues to be an injury doubt for the autumn fixtures, which, in the most pessimistic outlook, will leave him with only two friendly matches in March 2026 to prove himself to Ancelotti before the revealing of the definitive squad for the World Cup.
"For 15 years, Neymar was Brazil's undisputed star, bearing massive pressure on his own," Brazilian icon Cafu remarked.
"But no one wins the World Cup single-handedly. Putting all our hopes on him at the moment is challenging because he struggles to even play three games in a row."
'Technical exclusion raises serious questions about Neymar'
Not just has Neymar had various physical concerns since his homecoming - he's been absent for nearly half of Santos' matches this campaign - but, when he was able to play, he was a distant from the player who during his prime competed with Lionel Messi and the Portuguese icon.
Of his nine goal contributions so far, five have come against teams from divisions below Brazil's top flight - a goal and assist against a lower-league side, followed by a three goal involvements versus Inter de Limeira, all in the Sao Paulo State Championship.
As Santos fight relegation in the Brazilian first tier, the number 10 no longer seems to be the game-changer he once was.
Nevertheless, Ancelotti has insisted that the forward has plenty of time to show he is prepared for the World Cup.
"His aim must be to be ready in June. It doesn't matter if he's in the squad in autumn, late autumn or March," the coach told French media.
Ancelotti stirred local debate last month by allegedly attempting to shield Neymar, suggesting the star had been omitted from the team over physical condition issues.
But then Neymar himself disputed it, saying he "was excluded for technical reasons; it has no connection to my physical condition."
In terms of fan opinion, it undoubtedly worsened the situation for Neymar.
"If the player we have invested our faith in to deliver the World Cup is left out for technical reasons, evidently there's a problem," Cafu observed.
Is a Ronaldo-style comeback possible for Neymar?
Polls from Datafolha found that the Brazilian public are split over whether Neymar should be selected for his fourth World Cup.
With his 79 goals, Neymar is Brazil's all-time top scorer, but he hasn't helped his case much with his in-game attitude either.
He seems more on edge than normal, having argued with fans multiple times in venues - it happened in three consecutive matches in mid-year.
The following month, the striker was emotional after Santos endured a six-goal loss at home by Vasco da Gama - the worst result of his professional life.
When asked by a journalist about his physical state in a post-match interview, he showed irritation: "This topic again, mate? I've responded to this countless times already."
The same kind of question has been posed to his father and agent Neymar Sr as well.
"Neymar's strategy was to remain for five months at Santos. To what end? To regain fitness. If Neymar managed to play, amen," he previously explained, causing anger among supporters.
There's still a slight hope, however, that Neymar's prime period haven't ended and that he will be able to revive his career the same way forward Ronaldo "Fenômeno" did in the 2002 World Cup to surmount criticism and injuries to guide Brazil to the championship trophy.
The Brazilian great sees similarities.
"He's a essential player for Brazil - there's nobody like Neymar," Ronaldo said during a recent appearance with the forward in Sao Paulo.
"It's an overstatement from a small group who believe he's neglecting his fitness rehabilitation.
Those who have been in football understand completely how challenging it is to return from an injury and restore form and self-belief. He's right on track."
The Santos star has a few decisive months ahead to demonstrate that he's not the heir who stepped away from greatness.
