Brazil's Unquestioned Superstar? Neymar Jr's World Cup Race Against Time
While Ousmane Dembele was crowned the prestigious football award in the autumn months, Neymar was undergoing therapy for his third injury of the year - while engaging in an virtual card tournament.
The 33-year-old football star ultimately finished as second place, collecting around £73,800 in tournament winnings.
It was partial comfort on a day when he had to witness 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 the new year, the experienced attacker has fallen short of expectations, drawing more attention for similar incidents than for his football.
His return home after a dozen campaigns away was meant to be a chance for him to return to peak condition and, crucially, rekindle a love of football that seemed gone 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 main question being asked right now in Brazil is if Neymar will make it to the upcoming global tournament.
He's against the clock.
"Even the stars have to prove that they are ready. The time is passing [for him]," 1970 World Cup-winner Tostao stated in his regular feature.
On Wednesday, Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti announced his squad for the forthcoming matches against South Korea and the Asian nation and, once again, Neymar was excluded.
"The Prince", as he was dubbed when received at Santos in a nod toward the king Pele, is still awaiting his debut under Ancelotti, having been absent from the national team for 24 months.
He also remains an injury doubt for the November games, which, in the worst scenario, will leave him with just a pair of friendly matches in spring 2026 to prove himself to Ancelotti before the revealing of the definitive squad for the World Cup.
"Over a decade and a half, Neymar was Brazil's unquestioned talisman, shouldering enormous expectations on his own," former AC Milan and Roma legend Cafu remarked.
"But no one wins the World Cup single-handedly. Putting all our expectations on him at the moment is challenging because he has difficulty to even play three games in a row."
'If Neymar is left out for technical reasons, something isn't right'
Not just has Neymar had repeated injury problems since his return to Brazil - he's missed nearly half 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 nine goal contributions so far, half have come against teams from lower tiers than 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 regional competition.
As Santos fight relegation in the top division, the number 10 no longer seems to be the difference maker he once was.
Nevertheless, Ancelotti has insisted that the forward has sufficient months to show he is ready for the World Cup.
"His goal must be to be prepared in June. It doesn't matter if he's in the squad in autumn, November or March," the Italian told French media.
Ancelotti caused local controversy last month by reportedly trying to protect Neymar, stating the star had been excluded from the team over fitness concerns.
But then Neymar himself disputed it, saying he "was left out for technical reasons; it has no connection to my fitness level."
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 deliver the World Cup is excluded for performance issues, clearly something isn't right," Cafu commented.
Can Neymar follow Ronaldo's 2002 example?
Studies from Datafolha found that the Brazilian public are divided over whether Neymar should be selected for his fourth World Cup.
With his 79 goals, Neymar is Brazil's all-time top scorer, 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 on several occasions in stadiums - it occurred in three consecutive matches in mid-year.
The following month, the striker was left in tears after Santos suffered a 6-0 loss at home by Vasco da Gama - the worst result of his career.
When asked by a reporter about his physical state in a post-match interview, he became frustrated: "Again with this, mate? I've answered this repeatedly already."
The similar query has been directed at his parent representative Neymar Sr as well.
"Neymar's intention was to spend five months at Santos. To what end? To recover. If Neymar was able to feature, amen," he earlier stated, causing outrage among fans.
There's continuing belief, however, that Neymar's peak years haven't ended and that he will be able to return to prominence the same way striker Ronaldo "Phenomenon" did in the 2002 World Cup to surmount skepticism and injuries to lead Brazil to the championship trophy.
The former Real Madrid, Barcelona and Inter Milan legend observes parallels.
"He's a crucial player for Brazil - there's nobody like Neymar," Ronaldo said during a recent event with the forward in the Brazilian city.
"It's an misrepresentation from a minority who believe he's neglecting his physical recovery.
Anyone who have been in football understand completely how difficult it is to return from an injury and recover form and self-belief. He's progressing well."
The Brazilian forward has a important timeframe ahead to demonstrate that he's not the heir who stepped away from greatness.
