Brazil's Undisputed Superstar? Neymar Jr's Global Tournament Countdown Challenge
While Ousmane Dembele claimed the prestigious football award in the autumn months, the Brazilian sensation was lying in bed for his third injury of the year - simultaneously participating in an online poker tournament.
The veteran Brazilian ace eventually placed as second place, securing around seventy-three thousand pounds in tournament winnings.
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 consistently dreamed to win.
After coming back to his youth team Santos in January, the 33-year-old forward has failed to live up to expectations, attracting more attention for comparable situations than for his on-field performances.
His homecoming after a dozen campaigns away was meant to be a chance for him to rediscover his best and, crucially, rekindle a love of football that seemed lost after disappointing periods with PSG and the Saudi club.
Instead, it has been largely underwhelming for each stakeholder.
Such is the situation that the key issue being asked right now in Brazil is whether Neymar will participate in the upcoming global tournament.
He's against the clock.
"All players have to prove that they are ready. The clock is ticking [for him]," 1970 World Cup-winner Tostao stated in his regular feature.
On Wednesday, Brazil manager the Italian tactician disclosed his team selection for the upcoming games against South Korea and the Asian nation and, yet again, Neymar was excluded.
"O Principe", as he was dubbed when welcomed back at Santos in a reference to the legend Pelé, is yet to play under Ancelotti, having been missing from the Selecao for two years.
He also remains 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 demonstrate his worth to Ancelotti before the announcement of the final list for the World Cup.
"For 15 years, Neymar was Brazil's undisputed star, carrying enormous expectations on his own," former AC Milan and Roma legend Cafu said.
"But nobody wins the World Cup alone. Placing all our hopes on him at the present time is problematic because he has difficulty to even play multiple matches in a row."
'Technical exclusion raises serious questions about Neymar'
Not just has Neymar had multiple fitness issues since his return to Brazil - he's been absent for 47% of Santos' matches this campaign - but, when he was available for selection, he was a far cry from the player who during his peak competed with Lionel Messi and the Portuguese icon.
Of his several attacking returns 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 goal and two assists versus another lower-division opponent, 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 difference maker he once was.
Despite that, Ancelotti has asserted that the forward has ample opportunity to show he is fit for the World Cup.
"His goal must be to be ready in June. It doesn't matter if he's in the squad in October, late autumn or March," the Italian told L'Equipe newspaper.
Ancelotti stirred local debate last month by reportedly trying to protect Neymar, claiming the star had been omitted from the team over fitness concerns.
But then Neymar himself contradicted this, saying he "was left out for tactical decisions; it has nothing to do with my physical condition."
In terms of popular view, it certainly didn't make it any better for Neymar.
"If the player we have placed all our hopes on to deliver the World Cup is left out for performance issues, evidently issues exist," Cafu said.
Is a Ronaldo-style comeback possible for Neymar?
Studies from Datafolha found that the Brazilian public are split over whether Neymar should be called up for his fourth World Cup.
With his 79 goals, Neymar is Brazil's historical leading marksman, but he hasn't improved his situation much with his behaviour on the pitch either.
He seems increased agitation than usual, having argued with fans on several occasions in venues - it happened in successive games in July.
The following month, the forward was left in tears after Santos suffered a 6-0 home defeat by their rivals - the worst result of his career.
When asked by a reporter about his fitness condition in a post-match interview, he also lost his patience: "This topic again, friend? I've responded to this countless times already."
The identical inquiry has been posed to his parent representative Neymar Sr as well.
"Neymar's plan was to spend five months at Santos. To what end? To regain fitness. If Neymar was able to feature, amen," he earlier stated, causing anger among fans.
There's still a slight hope, however, that Neymar's peak years haven't ended and that he will be able to return to prominence the same way forward Ronaldo "Fenômeno" did in the 2002 World Cup to overcome skepticism and physical setbacks to guide Brazil to the World Cup title.
The Brazilian great observes similarities.
"He's a crucial player for Brazil - there's nobody like Neymar," Ronaldo declared during a recent event with the forward in Sao Paulo.
"It's an exaggeration from a minority who believe he's ignoring his physical recovery.
Those who have been in football recognize fully how challenging it is to recover from an setback and regain form and self-belief. He's right on track."
The Santos star has a important timeframe ahead to show that he's not the heir who relinquished his status.
