The Brazilian Undisputed Star? Neymar Jr's Global Tournament Countdown Challenge
While Ousmane Dembele received the 2025 Ballon d'Or in the autumn months, Neymar was receiving treatment for his latest physical setback of the year - while engaging in an virtual card tournament.
The veteran Brazilian ace eventually placed as runner-up, collecting around £73,800 in tournament winnings.
It was partial comfort 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.
Since coming back to his youth team Santos in the new year, the experienced attacker has failed to live up to expectations, attracting more attention for comparable situations than for his football.
His homecoming after a dozen campaigns away was meant to be a chance for him to rediscover his best and, most importantly, revive a love of football that seemed diminished after frustrating spells with Paris St-Germain and Al Hilal.
Instead, it has been generally unsatisfactory for all parties involved.
This reflects the situation that the key issue being asked right now in Brazil is whether Neymar will participate in the 2026 World Cup.
He's against the clock.
"All players have to demonstrate that they are prepared. The clock is ticking [for him]," Brazilian legend Tostao stated in his newspaper column.
On Wednesday, Brazil manager the Italian tactician disclosed his team selection for the upcoming games against Korea Republic and Japan and, once again, Neymar was not in it.
"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 also remains an fitness concern for the autumn fixtures, which, in the worst scenario, will leave him with only two exhibition games in March 2026 to prove himself to Ancelotti before the announcement of the definitive squad for the World Cup.
"Over a decade and a half, Neymar was Brazil's clear standout, shouldering enormous expectations on his own," former AC Milan and Roma legend Cafu remarked.
"But nobody wins the World Cup alone. Placing all our expectations on him at the moment is difficult because he has difficulty to even play multiple matches in a row."
'If Neymar is left out for technical reasons, something isn't right'
Not only has Neymar had repeated injury problems since his homecoming - he's missed 47% of Santos' matches this season - but, when he was available for selection, he was a far cry from the player who during his zenith 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 goal and assist against Agua Santa, 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 Brazilian first tier, the number 10 no longer seems to be the decisive factor he once was.
Nevertheless, Ancelotti has asserted that the forward has plenty of time to show he is fit for the World Cup.
"His objective must be to be prepared in summer. It isn't crucial if he's in the squad in autumn, November or March," the coach told L'Equipe newspaper.
Ancelotti created local controversy last month by allegedly attempting to protect Neymar, stating the star had been excluded from the team over physical condition issues.
But then Neymar himself disputed it, saying he "was left out for technical reasons; it has nothing to do with my fitness level."
In terms of fan opinion, it definitely didn't help for Neymar.
"If the player we have invested our faith in to deliver the World Cup is left out for technical reasons, clearly something isn't right," Cafu observed.
Will Neymar be capable of emulating Ronaldo in 2002?
Research from a leading polling institute found that the Brazilian public are divided over whether Neymar should be called up 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 behaviour on the pitch either.
He seems more on edge than usual, having argued with fans on several occasions in venues - it occurred in successive games in July.
The next month, the striker was left in tears after Santos endured a six-goal loss at home by Vasco da Gama - the heaviest defeat of his career.
When questioned by a journalist about his physical state in a post-match interview, he showed irritation: "This topic again, mate? I've answered this 500 times already."
The similar query has been directed at his father and agent Neymar Sr as well.
"Neymar's plan was to spend five months at Santos. To what end? To regain fitness. If Neymar managed to play, amen," he previously explained, causing anger among supporters.
There's still a slight hope, however, that Neymar's best days haven't ended and that he will be able to resurrect his form the same way striker Ronaldo "Fenômeno" did in 2002 to surmount doubt and physical setbacks to lead Brazil to the World Cup title.
The Brazilian great observes similarities.
"He's a vital player for Brazil - there's nobody like Neymar," Ronaldo declared during a recent event with the forward in the Brazilian city.
"It's an overstatement from a minority who believe he's disregarding his fitness rehabilitation.
Anyone who have been in football recognize fully how hard it is to recover from an injury and recover rhythm and confidence. He's right on track."
The Brazilian forward has a important timeframe ahead to prove that he's not the prince who stepped away from greatness.
