Brazil's Undisputed Star? Neymar's Global Tournament Race Against Time
While Ousmane Dembele claimed the prestigious football award in late September, Neymar was lying in bed for his latest physical setback of the year - while taking part in an virtual card tournament.
The veteran football star ultimately finished as runner-up, collecting around seventy-three thousand pounds in prize money.
It was some consolation on a day when he had to observe the player who once replaced him at Barcelona receive the award he had long hoped to win.
After returning to his boyhood club Santos in January, the experienced attacker has failed to live up to expectations, attracting more attention for similar incidents than for his football.
His homecoming after a dozen campaigns away was intended as a chance for him to return to peak condition and, crucially, revive a passion for the game that seemed lost after disappointing periods with PSG and Al Hilal.
Instead, it has been largely underwhelming for all parties involved.
Such is the situation that the main question being asked right now in Brazil is whether Neymar will make it to the 2026 World Cup.
He's facing a deadline.
"Even the stars have to demonstrate that they are prepared. The time is passing [for him]," 1970 World Cup-winner Tostao commented in his regular feature.
On midweek, Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti disclosed his squad for the forthcoming matches against South Korea and the Asian nation and, once again, Neymar was excluded.
"The Prince", as he was nicknamed when received at Santos in a reference to the legend Pelé, is still awaiting his debut under Ancelotti, having been absent from the Selecao for 24 months.
He also remains an fitness concern for the November games, which, in the worst scenario, will leave him with only two friendly matches in March 2026 to demonstrate his worth to Ancelotti before the revealing of the final list for the World Cup.
"For 15 years, Neymar was Brazil's unquestioned talisman, carrying huge responsibility on his own," Brazilian icon Cafu remarked.
"But no one wins the World Cup single-handedly. Placing all our hopes on him at the moment is problematic because he struggles to even play three games in a row."
'Omission based on skill level signals deeper issues'
Not only has Neymar had repeated injury problems since his return to Brazil - he's missed 47% of Santos' matches this campaign - but, when he was available for selection, he was a different to the player who during his zenith rivaled Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Of his nine goal contributions so far, five have come against teams from lower tiers than 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.
Despite that, Ancelotti has maintained that the forward has plenty of time to show he is ready for the World Cup.
"His objective must be to be ready in June. It doesn't matter if he's in the squad in October, late autumn or spring," the Italian told French media.
Ancelotti stirred local controversy last month by allegedly attempting to protect Neymar, suggesting the star had been excluded from the team over physical condition issues.
But then Neymar himself challenged the claim, saying he "was excluded for technical reasons; it has nothing to do with my fitness level."
In terms of public perception, 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 issues exist," Cafu commented.
Is a Ronaldo-style comeback possible for Neymar?
Research from Datafolha found that Brazilians are divided over whether Neymar should be called up for his next global tournament.
With his 79 goals, Neymar is Brazil's historical leading marksman, but he hasn't improved his situation much with his conduct during matches either.
He seems greater frustration than normal, having confronted fans repeatedly in venues - it occurred in three consecutive matches in mid-year.
The next month, the striker was left in tears after Santos suffered a six-goal home defeat by their rivals - the worst result of his professional life.
When questioned by a reporter about his fitness condition in a game aftermath discussion, he showed irritation: "Again with this, mate? I've answered this repeatedly already."
The similar query 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 recover. If Neymar managed to play, so be it," he previously explained, causing anger among supporters.
There's remaining optimism, however, that Neymar's best days haven't ended and that he will be able to return to prominence the same way forward Ronaldo "Phenomenon" did in 2002 to surmount doubt and injuries to lead Brazil to the championship trophy.
The former Real Madrid, Barcelona and Inter Milan legend notes similarities.
"He's a vital player for Brazil - there's no one else like Neymar," Ronaldo said during a recent event with the forward in Sao Paulo.
"It's an misrepresentation from a small group who believe he's disregarding his fitness rehabilitation.
Those who have been in football recognize fully how hard it is to recover from an injury and restore form and self-belief. He's progressing well."
The Santos star has a critical period ahead to demonstrate that he's not the heir who stepped away from greatness.
