Brazil's Unquestioned Superstar? Neymar Jr's Global Tournament Race Against Time
As Ousmane Dembele claimed the prestigious football award in late September, Neymar was lying in bed for his latest physical setback of the year - simultaneously participating in an online poker tournament.
The veteran football star ultimately finished as second place, collecting around seventy-three thousand pounds in tournament winnings.
It was limited solace on a day when he had to observe the player who previously succeeded him at Barcelona claim the award he had long hoped to win.
After returning to his youth team Santos in the new year, the 33-year-old forward has fallen short of 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 return to peak condition and, most importantly, revive a love of football that seemed gone after frustrating spells with Paris St-Germain and Al Hilal.
Instead, it has been largely underwhelming for each stakeholder.
Such is the situation that the primary concern being asked right now in Brazil is whether Neymar will be part of the upcoming global tournament.
He's facing a deadline.
"All players have to prove that they are prepared. The clock is ticking [for him]," Brazilian legend Tostao commented in his newspaper column.
On midweek, Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti disclosed his squad for the upcoming games against South Korea and the Asian nation and, once again, Neymar was not in it.
"The Prince", as he was nicknamed when welcomed back at Santos in a reference to the king Pele, is yet to play under Ancelotti, having been absent from the Selecao for 24 months.
He also remains an fitness concern for the autumn fixtures, which, in the most pessimistic outlook, will leave him with just a pair of friendly matches in spring 2026 to demonstrate his worth to Ancelotti before the revealing of the final list for the World Cup.
"Over a decade and a half, Neymar was Brazil's unquestioned talisman, bearing enormous expectations on his own," former AC Milan and Roma legend Cafu remarked.
"But no one wins the World Cup alone. Putting all our hopes on him at the moment is problematic because he finds it hard to even play three games in a row."
'If Neymar is left out for technical reasons, something isn't right'
Not only has Neymar had various physical concerns since his return to Brazil - he's been absent for 47% of Santos' matches this season - but, when he was available for selection, he was a different to the player who during his peak competed with the Argentine maestro and the Portuguese icon.
Of his nine goal contributions so far, five have come against teams from divisions below Brazil's first division - a scoring contribution 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 top division, the playmaker no longer seems to be the difference maker he previously represented.
Nevertheless, Ancelotti has asserted that the forward has sufficient months to show he is ready for the World Cup.
"His goal must be to be ready in June. It isn't crucial if he's in the squad in October, late autumn or spring," the coach told L'Equipe newspaper.
Ancelotti stirred local discussion last month by allegedly attempting to shield Neymar, suggesting the star had been omitted from the team over fitness concerns.
But then Neymar himself challenged the claim, saying he "was left out for tactical decisions; it has nothing to do with my physical condition."
In terms of public perception, 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 something isn't right," Cafu commented.
Can Neymar follow Ronaldo's 2002 example?
Polls from Datafolha found that Brazilians are divided over whether Neymar should be called up for his next global tournament.
With his record tally, Neymar is Brazil's historical leading marksman, but he hasn't improved his situation much with his in-game attitude either.
He seems greater frustration than usual, having argued with fans on several occasions in venues - it occurred in three consecutive matches in mid-year.
The next month, the forward was left in tears after Santos endured a 6-0 loss at home by their rivals - the biggest loss of his career.
When questioned by a reporter about his fitness condition in a post-match interview, he became frustrated: "This topic again, friend? I've answered this countless times already."
The similar query has been posed to his father and agent Neymar Sr as well.
"Neymar's plan was to spend five months at Santos. For what? To recover. If Neymar was able to feature, so be it," he previously explained, causing anger among fans.
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 overcome criticism and injuries to lead Brazil to the World Cup title.
The Brazilian great observes comparisons.
"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 overstatement from a minority who believe he's neglecting his physical recovery.
Those who have been in football recognize fully how hard it is to recover from an setback and regain form and self-belief. He's right on track."
The Santos star has a few decisive months ahead to show that he's not the prince who abandoned the throne.
