The Brazilian Unquestioned Star? Neymar's Global Tournament Race Against Time
As Ousmane Dembele was crowned the prestigious football award in the autumn months, Neymar was lying in bed for his third injury of the year - while participating in an virtual card tournament.
The 33-year-old Brazilian ace eventually placed as runner-up, earning around £73,800 in tournament winnings.
It was limited solace on a day when he had to observe the player who previously succeeded him at Barcelona receive the award he had consistently dreamed to win.
Since coming back to his youth team Santos in January, the 33-year-old forward has fallen short of expectations, drawing more attention for episodes like this than for his football.
His homecoming after a dozen campaigns away was meant to be a chance for him to return to peak condition and, most importantly, restore a passion for the game that seemed diminished after frustrating spells with PSG and the Saudi club.
Instead, it has been largely underwhelming for all parties involved.
This reflects the situation that the key issue being asked right now in Brazil is if Neymar will make it to the 2026 World Cup.
He's against the clock.
"Even the stars have to prove that they are prepared. The clock is ticking [for him]," 1970 World Cup-winner Tostao wrote in his newspaper column.
On midweek, Brazil manager the Italian tactician disclosed his squad for the upcoming games against South Korea and the Asian nation and, once again, Neymar was excluded.
"O Principe", as he was nicknamed when received at Santos in a reference to the king Pele, is still awaiting his debut under Ancelotti, having been absent from the national team for two years.
He continues to be an injury doubt 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 announcement of the definitive squad for the World Cup.
"Over a decade and a half, Neymar was Brazil's unquestioned talisman, shouldering huge responsibility on his own," former AC Milan and Roma legend Cafu remarked.
"But nobody wins the World Cup alone. Placing all our hopes on him at the present time is challenging 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 just has Neymar had repeated injury problems since his homecoming - he's been absent for 47% of Santos' matches this season - but, when he was available for selection, he was a far cry from the player who during his prime rivaled the Argentine maestro and the Portuguese icon.
Of his several attacking returns so far, half have come against teams from divisions below Brazil's top flight - a goal and assist against Agua Santa, followed by a three goal involvements versus another lower-division opponent, all in the regional competition.
As Santos fight relegation in the Brazilian first tier, the playmaker no longer seems to be the difference maker he once was.
Despite that, Ancelotti has insisted that the forward has sufficient months to show he is prepared for the World Cup.
"His aim must be to be ready in summer. It doesn't matter if he's in the squad in October, late autumn or spring," the coach told L'Equipe newspaper.
Ancelotti stirred local controversy last month by reportedly trying to protect Neymar, claiming the star had been excluded from the team over physical condition issues.
But then Neymar himself challenged the claim, saying he "was left out for technical reasons; it has no connection to my fitness level."
In terms of popular view, it definitely didn't help for Neymar.
"If the player we have invested our faith in to win the World Cup is left out for technical reasons, clearly something isn't right," Cafu said.
Is a Ronaldo-style comeback possible for Neymar?
Studies from Datafolha found that the Brazilian public are divided over whether Neymar should be selected for his next global tournament.
With his record tally, Neymar is Brazil's all-time top scorer, but he hasn't improved his situation much with his conduct during matches either.
He seems more on edge than usual, having confronted fans multiple times in venues - it occurred in successive games in mid-year.
The next month, the forward was emotional after Santos suffered a six-goal home defeat by Vasco da Gama - the heaviest defeat of his professional life.
When questioned by a journalist about his physical state in a post-match interview, he became frustrated: "Again with this, friend? I've responded to this countless times already."
The same kind of question has been directed at his father and agent Neymar Sr as well.
"Neymar's intention was to remain for a limited period at Santos. For what? To regain fitness. If Neymar managed to play, amen," he previously explained, causing outrage among fans.
There's still a slight hope, however, that Neymar's prime period haven't ended and that he will be able to resurrect his form the same way forward Ronaldo "Phenomenon" did in 2002 to surmount criticism and physical setbacks to lead Brazil to the World Cup title.
The former Real Madrid, Barcelona and Inter Milan legend notes comparisons.
"He's a vital player for Brazil - there's no one else like Neymar," Ronaldo stated during a recent event with the forward in Sao Paulo.
"It's an exaggeration from a minority who believe he's disregarding his fitness rehabilitation.
Anyone who have been in football understand completely how hard it is to recover from an injury and regain form and self-belief. He's progressing well."
The Santos star has a critical period ahead to demonstrate that he's not the heir who relinquished his status.
