The Brazilian Undisputed Star? Neymar Jr's World Cup Race Against Time
As Ousmane Dembele received the prestigious football award in the autumn months, Neymar was undergoing therapy for his latest physical setback of the year - while participating in an virtual card tournament.
The veteran football star eventually placed as second place, securing around £73,800 in tournament winnings.
It was partial comfort on a day when he had to witness the player who once replaced him at Barcelona claim the award he had consistently dreamed to win.
After coming back to his youth team Santos in January, the 33-year-old forward has failed to live up to expectations, drawing more attention for episodes like this than for his on-field performances.
His return home after 12 seasons away was intended as a chance for him to return to peak condition and, crucially, restore a passion for the game that seemed lost after frustrating spells with Paris St-Germain and Al Hilal.
Instead, it has been generally unsatisfactory for everyone concerned.
This reflects the situation that the key issue being asked right now in Brazil is if Neymar will participate in the 2026 World Cup.
He's running out of time.
"All players have to demonstrate that they are fit. The time is passing [for him]," Brazilian legend Tostao stated in his newspaper column.
On Wednesday, Brazil manager the Italian tactician disclosed his squad for the upcoming games against South Korea and Japan and, once 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 still awaiting his debut under Ancelotti, having been absent from the national team for two years.
He continues to be an fitness concern for the autumn fixtures, which, in the most pessimistic outlook, will leave him with only two exhibition games in March 2026 to prove himself to Ancelotti before the revealing of the final list for the World Cup.
"For 15 years, Neymar was Brazil's unquestioned talisman, bearing huge responsibility on his own," Brazilian icon Cafu remarked.
"But nobody wins the World Cup single-handedly. Placing all our hopes 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 nearly half of Santos' matches this campaign - 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 nine goal contributions so far, half have come against teams from divisions below Brazil's top flight - a scoring contribution against Agua Santa, followed by a goal and two assists versus another lower-division opponent, all in the Sao Paulo State Championship.
As Santos battle against demotion in the Brazilian first tier, the playmaker no longer seems to be the game-changer he previously represented.
Despite that, Ancelotti has insisted that the forward has ample opportunity to show he is ready for the World Cup.
"His objective must be to be ready in summer. It doesn't matter if he's in the squad in autumn, late autumn or spring," the coach told French media.
Ancelotti caused local controversy last month by allegedly attempting to shield Neymar, claiming the star had been excluded from the team over physical condition issues.
But then Neymar himself challenged the claim, saying he "was excluded for tactical decisions; it has nothing to do with my physical condition."
In terms of fan opinion, it undoubtedly worsened the situation for Neymar.
"If the player we have pinned our dreams on to deliver the World Cup is left out for performance issues, evidently something isn't right," Cafu said.
Can Neymar follow Ronaldo's 2002 example?
Polls from Datafolha found that the Brazilian public are split 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 helped his case much with his in-game attitude either.
He seems greater frustration than normal, having argued with fans repeatedly in venues - it occurred in successive games in July.
The following month, the forward was left in tears after Santos suffered a 6-0 loss at home by their rivals - the worst result of his career.
When asked by a journalist about his fitness condition in a post-match interview, he showed irritation: "Again with this, mate? I've responded to this 500 times already."
The similar query has been posed to his father and agent Neymar Sr as well.
"Neymar's intention was to remain for a limited period at Santos. For what? To recover. If Neymar was able to feature, amen," he previously explained, causing anger among supporters.
There's still a slight hope, however, that Neymar's prime period haven't ended and that he will be able to return to prominence the same way forward Ronaldo "Phenomenon" did in the 2002 World Cup to overcome doubt and injuries to guide Brazil to the championship trophy.
The former Real Madrid, Barcelona and Inter Milan legend notes comparisons.
"He's a essential player for Brazil - there's nobody like Neymar," Ronaldo declared during a recent appearance with the forward in the Brazilian city.
"It's an exaggeration from a small group who believe he's neglecting his fitness rehabilitation.
Anyone who have been in football understand completely how difficult it is to recover from an injury and regain rhythm and confidence. He's moving forward."
The Brazilian forward has a few decisive months ahead to prove that he's not the prince who relinquished his status.
