The Brazilian Unquestioned Superstar? Neymar Jr's World Cup Race Against Time
As the French winger was crowned the prestigious football award in late September, the Brazilian sensation was lying in bed for his latest physical setback of the year - while engaging in an virtual card tournament.
The 33-year-old Brazilian ace ultimately finished as second place, securing around seventy-three thousand pounds in tournament winnings.
It was some consolation on a day when he had to witness the player who previously succeeded him at Barcelona receive the award he had consistently dreamed to win.
After returning to his youth team Santos in January, the 33-year-old forward has failed to live up to expectations, attracting more attention for similar incidents than for his on-field performances.
His homecoming after a dozen campaigns away was meant to be a chance for him to regain his form and, most importantly, restore a love of football that seemed lost after frustrating spells with PSG and Al Hilal.
Conversely, it has been largely underwhelming for all parties involved.
This reflects the situation that the main question being asked right now in Brazil is whether Neymar will make it to the 2026 World Cup.
He's facing a deadline.
"All players have to prove that they are ready. The time is passing [for him]," 1970 World Cup-winner Tostao wrote in his newspaper column.
On Wednesday, Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti revealed his squad for the upcoming games against Korea Republic and Japan and, yet again, Neymar was excluded.
"O Principe", as he was dubbed when received at Santos in a reference to the legend Pelé, is still awaiting his debut under Ancelotti, having been absent from the national team for 24 months.
He also remains an fitness concern for the November games, which, in the most pessimistic outlook, 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.
"Over a decade and a half, Neymar was Brazil's undisputed star, carrying enormous expectations on his own," former AC Milan and Roma legend Cafu said.
"But nobody wins the World Cup single-handedly. Placing all our expectations on him at the present time 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 only 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 able to play, he was a distant from the player who during his zenith dared to challenge Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Of his nine goal contributions so far, five have come against teams from divisions below Brazil's first division - a goal and assist against a lower-league side, followed by a goal and two assists versus another lower-division opponent, all in the Sao Paulo State Championship.
As Santos fight relegation in the top division, the number 10 no longer seems to be the game-changer he once was.
Despite that, Ancelotti has maintained that the forward has plenty of time to show he is prepared for the World Cup.
"His aim must be to be prepared in summer. It doesn't matter if he's in the squad in October, late autumn or March," the Italian told French media.
Ancelotti created local discussion last month by reportedly trying to shield Neymar, suggesting the star had been excluded 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 definitely didn't help for Neymar.
"If the player we have placed all our hopes on to win the World Cup is excluded for technical reasons, evidently issues exist," Cafu said.
Is a Ronaldo-style comeback possible for Neymar?
Polls from Datafolha found that the Brazilian public are divided over whether Neymar should be included for his fourth World Cup.
With his record tally, Neymar is Brazil's all-time top scorer, but he hasn't improved his situation much with his behaviour on the pitch either.
He seems more on edge than usual, having confronted fans repeatedly in stadiums - it happened in three consecutive matches in mid-year.
The following month, the striker was reduced to crying after Santos suffered a six-goal loss at home 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 became frustrated: "This topic again, mate? I've responded to this countless times already."
The similar query has been directed at his parent representative Neymar Sr as well.
"Neymar's strategy was to remain for a limited period at Santos. To what end? To regain fitness. If Neymar was able to feature, amen," he earlier stated, causing anger among supporters.
There's remaining optimism, however, that Neymar's prime period aren't over and that he will be able to revive his career the same way striker Ronaldo "Phenomenon" did in 2002 to surmount criticism and physical setbacks to lead Brazil to the World Cup title.
The Brazilian great sees comparisons.
"He's a vital player for Brazil - there's no one else like Neymar," Ronaldo said during a recent appearance with the forward in Sao Paulo.
"It's an misrepresentation from a minority who believe he's neglecting his fitness rehabilitation.
Those who have been in football understand completely how challenging it is to return from an injury and restore rhythm and confidence. He's moving forward."
The Santos star has a critical period ahead to prove that he's not the heir who abandoned the throne.