Brazil's Unquestioned Superstar? Neymar's World Cup Countdown Challenge
As the French winger received the prestigious football award in late September, Neymar was lying in bed for his latest physical setback of the year - while participating in an virtual card tournament.
The veteran Brazilian ace ultimately finished as second place, securing around £73,800 in prize money.
It was some consolation on a day when he had to witness the player who once replaced him at Barcelona lift the award he had consistently dreamed to win.
Since coming back to his boyhood club Santos in January, the 33-year-old forward has failed to live up to expectations, attracting more attention for similar incidents than for his football.
His homecoming after 12 seasons away was meant to be a chance for him to rediscover his best and, crucially, rekindle a love of football that seemed gone after disappointing periods with PSG and Al Hilal.
Conversely, it has been widely disappointing for each stakeholder.
Such is the situation that the key issue being asked right now in Brazil is if Neymar will participate in the 2026 World Cup.
He's facing a deadline.
"All players have to demonstrate that they are prepared. The time is passing [for him]," Brazilian legend Tostao commented in his newspaper column.
On midweek, Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti announced his squad for the upcoming games against South Korea and Japan and, once again, Neymar was absent.
"O Principe", as he was nicknamed when welcomed back at Santos in a nod toward the legend Pelé, is yet to play under Ancelotti, having been absent from the national team for two years.
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 demonstrate his worth to Ancelotti before the revealing of the final list for the World Cup.
"Over a decade and a half, Neymar was Brazil's clear standout, bearing massive pressure on his own," former AC Milan and Roma legend Cafu stated.
"But no one wins the World Cup alone. Placing all our hopes on him at the present time is difficult because he struggles to even play multiple matches in a row."
'Omission based on skill level signals deeper issues'
Not only has Neymar had repeated injury problems since his homecoming - he's been absent for nearly half of Santos' matches this campaign - but, when he was available for selection, he was a far cry from the player who during his peak competed with the Argentine maestro and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Of his several attacking returns so far, half have come against teams from lower tiers than Brazil's first division - a scoring contribution against Agua Santa, followed by a goal and two assists versus Inter de Limeira, 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 previously represented.
Despite that, Ancelotti has asserted that the forward has sufficient months to show he is ready for the World Cup.
"His aim must be to be ready in summer. It isn't crucial if he's in the squad in autumn, November or spring," the Italian told L'Equipe newspaper.
Ancelotti stirred local controversy last month by allegedly attempting to protect Neymar, claiming the star had been omitted from the team over fitness concerns.
But then Neymar himself disputed it, saying he "was excluded for technical reasons; it has no connection to my physical condition."
In terms of public perception, it undoubtedly worsened the situation for Neymar.
"If the player we have pinned our dreams on to win the World Cup is left out for technical reasons, obviously something isn't right," Cafu commented.
Will Neymar be capable of emulating Ronaldo in 2002?
Research from Datafolha found that Brazilians are divided over whether Neymar should be called up for his next global tournament.
With his record tally, Neymar is Brazil's historical leading marksman, 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 happened in successive games in mid-year.
The next month, the striker was left in tears after Santos endured a 6-0 loss at home by their rivals - the biggest loss of his professional life.
When asked by a journalist about his physical state in a game aftermath discussion, he showed irritation: "This topic again, friend? I've responded to this countless times already."
The same kind of question has been directed at his parent representative Neymar Sr as well.
"Neymar's intention was to remain for five months at Santos. For what? To recover. If Neymar managed to play, amen," he earlier stated, causing outrage among followers.
There's remaining optimism, however, that Neymar's prime period aren't over and that he will be able to resurrect his form the same way striker Ronaldo "Phenomenon" did in the 2002 World Cup to overcome doubt and injuries to guide Brazil to the World Cup title.
The former Real Madrid, Barcelona and Inter Milan legend notes parallels.
"He's a vital player for Brazil - there's nobody like Neymar," Ronaldo stated during a recent appearance with the forward in Sao Paulo.
"It's an overstatement from a minority who believe he's neglecting his fitness rehabilitation.
Those who have been in football knows perfectly how challenging it is to return from an injury and recover form and self-belief. He's moving forward."
The Brazilian forward has a important timeframe ahead to demonstrate that he's not the prince who stepped away from greatness.
