The Brazilian Unquestioned Star? Neymar's World Cup Countdown Challenge
While the French winger was crowned the prestigious football award in late September, the Brazilian sensation was receiving treatment for his latest physical setback of the year - simultaneously participating in an online poker tournament.
The veteran football star eventually placed as second place, securing 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 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 similar incidents than for his on-field performances.
His homecoming after 12 seasons away was meant to be a chance for him to return to peak condition and, crucially, revive a love of football that seemed lost after disappointing periods with Paris St-Germain and the Saudi club.
Instead, it has been largely underwhelming for all parties involved.
Such is the situation that the primary concern being asked right now in Brazil is if Neymar will participate in the upcoming global tournament.
He's running out of time.
"Even the stars have to demonstrate that they are ready. The clock is ticking [for him]," 1970 World Cup-winner Tostao commented in his newspaper column.
On Wednesday, Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti revealed his squad for the forthcoming matches against Korea Republic and Japan and, yet again, Neymar was absent.
"The Prince", as he was dubbed when received at Santos in a nod toward the legend Pelé, is yet to play under Ancelotti, having been absent from the national team for two years.
He continues to be an fitness concern for the November games, which, in the most pessimistic outlook, will leave him with just a pair of exhibition games in spring 2026 to prove himself to Ancelotti before the revealing of the definitive squad for the World Cup.
"For 15 years, Neymar was Brazil's clear standout, bearing enormous expectations on his own," former AC Milan and Roma legend Cafu said.
"But no one wins the World Cup alone. Putting all our hopes on him at the moment is challenging because he finds it hard 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 homecoming - he's missed 47% of Santos' matches this season - but, when he was able to play, he was a distant from the player who during his peak competed with the Argentine maestro and the Portuguese icon.
Of his several attacking returns 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 goal and two assists versus Inter de Limeira, all in the regional competition.
As Santos battle against demotion in the Brazilian first tier, the number 10 no longer seems to be the game-changer he previously represented.
Nevertheless, Ancelotti has maintained that the forward has ample opportunity to show he is ready 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, November or spring," the coach told L'Equipe newspaper.
Ancelotti created local controversy last month by reportedly trying to protect Neymar, suggesting the star had been excluded from the team over physical condition issues.
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 public perception, it definitely didn't help for Neymar.
"If the player we have pinned our dreams on to deliver the World Cup is excluded for performance issues, evidently something isn't right," Cafu said.
Can Neymar follow Ronaldo's 2002 example?
Studies from a leading polling institute found that the Brazilian public are split 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 helped his case much with his in-game attitude either.
He seems greater frustration than normal, having exchanged words with fans repeatedly in venues - it happened in three consecutive matches in July.
The next month, the striker was left in tears after Santos suffered a six-goal loss at home by their rivals - the worst result of his career.
When asked by a reporter about his physical state in a post-match interview, he showed irritation: "This topic again, friend? I've answered this countless times already."
The identical inquiry has been posed to his father and agent Neymar Sr as well.
"Neymar's strategy was to spend five months at Santos. To what end? To regain fitness. If Neymar was able to feature, amen," he earlier stated, causing displeasure among supporters.
There's remaining optimism, however, that Neymar's prime period aren't over and that he will be able to resurrect his form the same way striker Ronaldo "Fenômeno" did in 2002 to surmount skepticism and injuries to lead 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 the Brazilian city.
"It's an misrepresentation from a small group who believe he's ignoring his fitness rehabilitation.
Anyone who have been in football knows perfectly how challenging it is to recover from an setback and recover form and self-belief. He's moving forward."
The Santos star has a critical period ahead to demonstrate that he's not the heir who relinquished his status.
