Brazil's Unquestioned Star? Neymar Jr's World Cup Race Against Time
While Ousmane Dembele was crowned the prestigious football award in the autumn months, the Brazilian sensation was lying in bed for his third injury of the year - while taking part in an virtual card tournament.
The 33-year-old football star eventually placed as second place, securing around £73,800 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 consistently dreamed to win.
Since returning to his boyhood club Santos in January, the 33-year-old forward has failed to live up to expectations, attracting more attention for episodes like this than for his on-field performances.
His homecoming after 12 seasons away was meant to be a chance for him to regain his form and, most importantly, restore a love of football that seemed diminished after frustrating spells with PSG and the Saudi club.
Instead, it has been widely disappointing 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 prove that they are fit. The clock is ticking [for him]," Brazilian legend Tostao stated in his newspaper column.
On midweek, Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti disclosed his squad for the forthcoming matches against Korea Republic and the Asian nation and, yet again, Neymar was excluded.
"The Prince", as he was dubbed when received at Santos in a reference to the legend Pelé, is yet to play under Ancelotti, having been missing from the national team for 24 months.
He also remains an injury doubt for the November games, which, in the most pessimistic outlook, will leave him with only two exhibition games in spring 2026 to prove himself to Ancelotti before the revealing of the final list for the World Cup.
"Over a decade and a half, Neymar was Brazil's clear standout, bearing huge responsibility on his own," Brazilian icon Cafu stated.
"But nobody wins the World Cup single-handedly. Putting all our expectations on him at the present time is problematic because he finds it hard to even play three games in a row."
'Technical exclusion raises serious questions about Neymar'
Not just has Neymar had repeated injury problems since his return to Brazil - he's been absent for nearly half of Santos' matches this season - but, when he was available for selection, he was a distant from 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 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 playmaker no longer seems to be the decisive factor he once was.
Despite that, Ancelotti has insisted that the forward has plenty of time to show he is ready for the World Cup.
"His aim must be to be prepared in June. It doesn't matter if he's in the squad in October, November or spring," the coach told L'Equipe newspaper.
Ancelotti caused local debate last month by reportedly trying to protect Neymar, claiming the star had been omitted 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 certainly didn't make it any better for Neymar.
"If the player we have pinned our dreams on to win the World Cup is left out for performance issues, evidently there's a problem," Cafu said.
Is a Ronaldo-style comeback possible for Neymar?
Studies from Datafolha found that Brazilians are divided over whether Neymar should be included for his fourth World Cup.
With his record tally, Neymar is Brazil's historical leading marksman, but he hasn't improved his situation much with his behaviour on the pitch either.
He seems greater frustration than normal, having argued with fans on several occasions in venues - it occurred in successive games in July.
The next month, the forward was emotional after Santos suffered a 6-0 home defeat by Vasco da Gama - the worst result of his professional life.
When asked by a journalist about his physical state in a post-match interview, he showed irritation: "This topic again, friend? I've answered this countless times already."
The same kind of question has been directed at 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, amen," he previously explained, causing outrage among fans.
There's still a slight hope, however, that Neymar's peak years haven't ended and that he will be able to revive his career the same way forward Ronaldo "Phenomenon" did in 2002 to surmount skepticism and injuries to guide Brazil to the World Cup title.
The former Real Madrid, Barcelona and Inter Milan legend observes similarities.
"He's a vital player for Brazil - there's no one else like Neymar," Ronaldo declared during a recent appearance with the forward in the Brazilian city.
"It's an misrepresentation from a minority who believe he's disregarding his physical recovery.
Anyone who have been in football recognize fully how challenging it is to recover from an injury and restore rhythm and confidence. He's progressing well."
The Santos star has a important timeframe ahead to show that he's not the heir who stepped away from greatness.
