Brazil's Unquestioned Superstar? Neymar's World Cup Race Against Time
As the French winger received the prestigious football award in late September, the Brazilian sensation was lying in bed for his latest physical setback of the year - simultaneously taking part in an online poker tournament.
The 33-year-old Brazilian ace ultimately finished as second place, earning around £73,800 in prize money.
It was some consolation on a day when he had to watch the player who once replaced him at Barcelona claim the award he had long hoped to win.
Since coming back to his boyhood club Santos in the new year, the experienced attacker has failed to live up to expectations, drawing more attention for comparable situations than for his on-field performances.
His return home after a dozen campaigns away was meant to be a chance for him to regain his form and, crucially, rekindle a love of football that seemed diminished after disappointing periods with Paris St-Germain and Al Hilal.
Conversely, it has been largely underwhelming for all parties involved.
This reflects the situation that the key issue being asked right now in Brazil is whether Neymar will be part of the upcoming global tournament.
He's against the clock.
"Even the stars have to demonstrate that they are ready. The time is passing [for him]," Brazilian legend Tostao wrote in his regular feature.
On midweek, Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti announced his squad for the forthcoming matches against Korea Republic and Japan and, yet again, Neymar was not in it.
"O Principe", as he was dubbed when welcomed back 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 autumn fixtures, which, in the worst scenario, will leave him with just a pair of exhibition games in spring 2026 to prove himself to Ancelotti before the revealing of the definitive squad for the World Cup.
"For 15 years, Neymar was Brazil's unquestioned talisman, carrying enormous expectations on his own," former AC Milan and Roma legend Cafu remarked.
"But no one wins the World Cup alone. Putting all our hopes on him at the moment is challenging because he finds it hard to even play three games in a row."
'If Neymar is left out for technical reasons, something isn't right'
Not only has Neymar had multiple fitness issues since his homecoming - he's been absent for 47% of Santos' matches this season - but, when he was available for selection, he was a distant from the player who during his peak rivaled Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Of his several attacking returns so far, half have come against teams from lower tiers than Brazil's top flight - 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 fight relegation in the top division, the number 10 no longer seems to be the decisive factor he previously represented.
Despite that, Ancelotti has maintained that the forward has plenty of time to show he is prepared for the World Cup.
"His objective must be to be prepared in June. It isn't crucial if he's in the squad in autumn, late autumn or spring," the Italian told L'Equipe newspaper.
Ancelotti caused local debate last month by reportedly trying to protect Neymar, stating the star had been omitted from the team over physical condition issues.
But then Neymar himself contradicted this, saying he "was left out for tactical decisions; it has no connection to my physical condition."
In terms of public perception, it definitely didn't help for Neymar.
"If the player we have invested our faith in to deliver the World Cup is excluded for performance issues, clearly there's a problem," Cafu commented.
Is a Ronaldo-style comeback possible for Neymar?
Polls from a leading polling institute found that Brazilians are split over whether Neymar should be selected 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 in-game attitude either.
He seems greater frustration than normal, having argued with fans multiple times in venues - it happened in successive games in mid-year.
The next month, the striker was left in tears after Santos endured a six-goal loss at home by their rivals - the worst result of his career.
When questioned by a journalist about his physical state in a post-match interview, he became frustrated: "This topic again, mate? I've responded to this repeatedly already."
The similar query has been directed at his father and agent Neymar Sr as well.
"Neymar's plan was to remain for a limited period at Santos. For what? To recover. If Neymar was able to feature, amen," he earlier stated, causing outrage among supporters.
There's still a slight hope, however, that Neymar's best days haven't ended and that he will be able to return to prominence the same way striker Ronaldo "Fenômeno" did in 2002 to overcome skepticism and injuries to guide Brazil to the World Cup title.
The Brazilian great observes parallels.
"He's a essential player for Brazil - there's nobody like Neymar," Ronaldo said during a recent event with the forward in Sao Paulo.
"It's an misrepresentation from a small group who believe he's disregarding his physical recovery.
Anyone who have been in football understand completely how challenging it is to recover from an injury and recover form and self-belief. He's progressing well."
The Santos star has a important timeframe ahead to prove that he's not the prince who stepped away from greatness.
