Brazil's Undisputed Star? Neymar Jr's World Cup Race Against Time
As Ousmane Dembele was crowned the prestigious football award in the autumn months, the Brazilian sensation was receiving treatment for his latest physical setback of the year - while engaging in an virtual card tournament.
The 33-year-old Brazilian ace eventually placed as second place, collecting around £73,800 in tournament winnings.
It was some consolation on a day when he had to watch the player who previously succeeded him at Barcelona receive the award he had long hoped to win.
After returning to his youth team Santos in the new year, the experienced attacker has failed to live up to expectations, drawing more attention for episodes like this than for his on-field performances.
His return home after a dozen campaigns away was intended as a chance for him to return to peak condition and, most importantly, rekindle a love of football that seemed lost 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 key issue being asked right now in Brazil is if Neymar will be part of the upcoming global tournament.
He's against the clock.
"Even the stars have to prove that they are ready. The clock is ticking [for him]," Brazilian legend Tostao commented in his newspaper column.
On Wednesday, Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti revealed his squad for the forthcoming matches against South Korea and the Asian nation and, yet again, Neymar was not in it.
"O Principe", as he was nicknamed when received at Santos in a nod toward the king Pele, is yet to play under Ancelotti, having been missing from the Selecao for 24 months.
He also remains an fitness concern for the November games, which, in the most pessimistic outlook, will leave him with only two exhibition games in March 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," Brazilian icon Cafu said.
"But nobody wins the World Cup single-handedly. Putting all our expectations on him at the present time is problematic 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 been absent for 47% of Santos' matches this campaign - but, when he was available for selection, he was a far cry from the player who during his prime competed with Lionel Messi and the Portuguese icon.
Of his several attacking returns so far, half have come against teams from lower tiers than Brazil's first division - a scoring contribution against Agua Santa, followed by a goal and two assists versus Inter de Limeira, all in the regional competition.
As Santos fight relegation in the Brazilian first tier, the number 10 no longer seems to be the game-changer he once was.
Nevertheless, Ancelotti has maintained that the forward has sufficient months to show he is fit for the World Cup.
"His objective must be to be prepared in summer. It doesn't matter if he's in the squad in autumn, late autumn or spring," the coach told L'Equipe newspaper.
Ancelotti created local debate last month by allegedly attempting to protect Neymar, suggesting the star had been excluded from the team over fitness concerns.
But then Neymar himself challenged the claim, saying he "was left out for technical reasons; 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 invested our faith in to deliver the World Cup is left out for performance issues, evidently there's a problem," Cafu observed.
Will Neymar be capable of emulating Ronaldo in 2002?
Studies from Datafolha found that Brazilians are split 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 conduct during matches either.
He seems more on edge than normal, having exchanged words with fans multiple times in stadiums - it happened in successive games in mid-year.
The next month, the forward was emotional after Santos endured a six-goal home defeat by their rivals - the worst result of his professional life.
When asked by a reporter about his fitness condition in a game aftermath discussion, he also lost his patience: "This topic again, friend? I've responded to this repeatedly already."
The identical inquiry has been directed at his father and agent Neymar Sr as well.
"Neymar's plan 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 anger among supporters.
There's continuing belief, however, that Neymar's peak years remain possible 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 physical setbacks to guide Brazil to the World Cup title.
The Brazilian great observes similarities.
"He's a essential player for Brazil - there's nobody like Neymar," Ronaldo said during a recent event with the forward in the Brazilian city.
"It's an exaggeration from a minority who believe he's neglecting his physical recovery.
Those who have been in football recognize fully how challenging it is to return from an setback and recover form and self-belief. He's progressing well."
The Brazilian forward has a critical period ahead to demonstrate that he's not the heir who abandoned the throne.
