The Brazilian Undisputed Star? Neymar's World Cup Countdown Challenge
While Ousmane Dembele was crowned the prestigious football award in late September, Neymar was receiving treatment for his third injury of the year - while participating in an online poker tournament.
The 33-year-old football star ultimately finished as second place, securing around seventy-three thousand pounds in prize money.
It was limited solace on a day when he had to observe the player who once replaced him at Barcelona lift the award he had long hoped to win.
Since returning to his youth team Santos in the new year, the 33-year-old forward has failed to live up to expectations, drawing more attention for comparable situations than for his on-field performances.
His homecoming after 12 seasons away was intended as a chance for him to rediscover his best and, crucially, restore a love of football that seemed gone after frustrating spells with Paris St-Germain and Al Hilal.
Instead, 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 participate in the upcoming global tournament.
He's running out of time.
"Even the stars have to demonstrate that they are fit. The deadline approaches [for him]," 1970 World Cup-winner Tostao wrote in his regular feature.
On Wednesday, Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti revealed his squad for the forthcoming matches against South Korea and the Asian nation and, yet again, Neymar was absent.
"O Principe", as he was nicknamed when welcomed back at Santos in a reference to the king Pele, is still awaiting his debut under Ancelotti, having been missing from the national team for 24 months.
He continues to be an fitness concern for the November games, which, in the most pessimistic outlook, will leave him with only two exhibition games in spring 2026 to demonstrate his worth to Ancelotti before the revealing of the definitive squad for the World Cup.
"Over a decade and a half, Neymar was Brazil's unquestioned talisman, shouldering massive pressure on his own," former AC Milan and Roma legend Cafu stated.
"But nobody wins the World Cup alone. Placing all our expectations on him at the moment is problematic because he finds it hard to even play three games in a row."
'Technical exclusion raises serious questions about Neymar'
Not just has Neymar had various physical concerns since his return to Brazil - he's missed nearly half of Santos' matches this campaign - but, when he was available for selection, he was a different to the player who during his prime dared to challenge Lionel Messi and the Portuguese icon.
Of his several attacking returns so far, five have come against teams from divisions below Brazil's first division - a scoring contribution against Agua Santa, followed by a three goal involvements versus another lower-division opponent, all in the regional competition.
As Santos battle against demotion in the Brazilian first tier, the number 10 no longer seems to be the game-changer he once was.
Despite that, Ancelotti has maintained that the forward has sufficient months to show he is prepared for the World Cup.
"His goal must be to be prepared in summer. It isn't crucial if he's in the squad in October, November or spring," the Italian told L'Equipe newspaper.
Ancelotti stirred local discussion last month by reportedly trying to protect Neymar, stating the star had been omitted from the team over fitness concerns.
But then Neymar himself contradicted this, saying he "was left out for tactical decisions; it has no connection to my fitness level."
In terms of popular view, it certainly didn't make it any better for Neymar.
"If the player we have pinned our dreams on to deliver the World Cup is left out for performance issues, clearly something isn't right," Cafu said.
Will Neymar be capable of emulating Ronaldo in 2002?
Research from Datafolha found that Brazilians are divided over whether Neymar should be included for his next global tournament.
With his 79 goals, Neymar is Brazil's historical leading marksman, but he hasn't helped his case much with his behaviour on the pitch either.
He seems more on edge than normal, having confronted fans on several occasions in venues - it happened in three consecutive matches in mid-year.
The next month, the forward was left in tears after Santos endured a 6-0 home defeat by Vasco da Gama - the worst result of his career.
When asked by a journalist about his physical state in a game aftermath discussion, he became frustrated: "This topic again, friend? I've answered this 500 times already."
The similar query has been posed to his father and agent Neymar Sr as well.
"Neymar's intention was to spend a limited period at Santos. To what end? To recover. If Neymar managed to play, amen," he previously explained, causing outrage among fans.
There's continuing belief, however, that Neymar's peak years haven't ended and that he will be able to revive his career the same way forward Ronaldo "Fenômeno" did in 2002 to surmount skepticism and injuries to guide Brazil to the championship trophy.
The Brazilian great observes similarities.
"He's a essential player for Brazil - there's no one else like Neymar," Ronaldo said during a recent event with the forward in Sao Paulo.
"It's an exaggeration from a small group who believe he's ignoring his physical recovery.
Anyone who have been in football recognize fully how challenging it is to return from an injury and recover rhythm and confidence. He's moving forward."
The Santos star has a critical period ahead to prove that he's not the prince who abandoned the throne.
