Brazil's Unquestioned Superstar? Neymar Jr's Global Tournament Countdown Challenge
While Ousmane Dembele received the prestigious football award in late September, the Brazilian sensation was undergoing therapy for his latest physical setback of the year - while engaging in an online poker tournament.
The 33-year-old football star eventually placed as second place, securing around seventy-three thousand pounds in prize money.
It was some consolation on a day when he had to watch the player who previously succeeded him at Barcelona claim the award he had consistently dreamed to win.
Since returning to his youth team Santos in January, the 33-year-old forward has fallen short of expectations, drawing more attention for similar incidents than for his on-field performances.
His homecoming after a dozen campaigns away was intended as a chance for him to regain his form and, most importantly, restore a love of football that seemed gone after frustrating spells with Paris St-Germain and the Saudi club.
Conversely, it has been generally unsatisfactory for each stakeholder.
This reflects the situation that the main question being asked right now in Brazil is if Neymar will be part of the 2026 World Cup.
He's against the clock.
"All players have to prove that they are fit. The deadline approaches [for him]," Brazilian legend Tostao wrote in his regular feature.
On midweek, Brazil head coach the Italian tactician announced his squad for the forthcoming matches against South Korea and the Asian nation and, yet again, Neymar was excluded.
"O Principe", as he was nicknamed when received at Santos in a reference to the king Pele, is yet to play under Ancelotti, having been missing from the national team for 24 months.
He continues to be an injury doubt for the autumn fixtures, 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 announcement of the final list for the World Cup.
"Over a decade and a half, Neymar was Brazil's undisputed star, shouldering huge responsibility on his own," Brazilian icon Cafu said.
"But nobody wins the World Cup single-handedly. Placing all our expectations on him at the present time is problematic because he has difficulty to even play three games in a row."
'Omission based on skill level signals deeper issues'
Not just has Neymar had repeated injury problems since his homecoming - he's missed nearly half of Santos' matches this season - but, when he was available for selection, he was a far cry from the player who during his prime dared to challenge the Argentine maestro and the Portuguese icon.
Of his several attacking returns so far, five have come against teams from lower tiers than 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 Sao Paulo State Championship.
As Santos battle against demotion in the top division, the number 10 no longer seems to be the decisive factor he once was.
Despite that, Ancelotti has maintained that the forward has plenty of time to show he is fit for the World Cup.
"His objective must be to be ready in summer. It isn't crucial if he's in the squad in October, November or March," the Italian told L'Equipe newspaper.
Ancelotti caused local controversy last month by allegedly attempting to shield Neymar, claiming the star had been excluded from the team over physical condition issues.
But then Neymar himself disputed it, saying he "was excluded for tactical decisions; it has nothing to do with my physical condition."
In terms of popular view, it definitely didn't help for Neymar.
"If the player we have placed all our hopes on to deliver the World Cup is excluded for technical reasons, clearly something isn't right," Cafu said.
Is a Ronaldo-style comeback possible for Neymar?
Research from a leading polling institute found that the Brazilian public are split over whether Neymar should be called up for his fourth World Cup.
With his record tally, Neymar is Brazil's historical leading marksman, but he hasn't helped his case much with his in-game attitude either.
He seems more on edge than usual, having argued with fans on several occasions in venues - it happened in three consecutive matches in July.
The next month, the forward was reduced to crying after Santos suffered a 6-0 home defeat by their rivals - the heaviest defeat of his career.
When asked by a reporter about his physical state in a post-match interview, he also lost his patience: "Again with this, friend? I've answered this repeatedly already."
The same kind of question has been posed to his father and agent Neymar Sr as well.
"Neymar's intention was to spend a limited period at Santos. To what end? To regain fitness. If Neymar managed to play, so be it," he earlier stated, causing outrage among supporters.
There's still a slight hope, however, that Neymar's peak years aren't over and that he will be able to return to prominence the same way forward Ronaldo "Fenômeno" did in the 2002 World Cup to overcome doubt and injuries to lead Brazil to the championship trophy.
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 small group who believe he's neglecting his physical recovery.
Anyone who have been in football understand completely how hard it is to come back from an injury and regain rhythm and confidence. He's right on track."
The Santos star has a critical period ahead to show that he's not the prince who abandoned the throne.
