The Brazilian Undisputed Star? Neymar Jr's World Cup Countdown Challenge
As Ousmane Dembele claimed the 2025 Ballon d'Or in the autumn months, the Brazilian sensation was undergoing therapy for his third injury of the year - while participating in an virtual card tournament.
The 33-year-old Brazilian ace ultimately finished as second place, collecting around seventy-three thousand pounds in prize money.
It was limited solace on a day when he had to observe the player who previously succeeded him at Barcelona lift the award he had consistently dreamed to win.
After returning to his youth team Santos in January, the experienced attacker has failed to live up to expectations, drawing more attention for episodes like this than for his football.
His return home after a dozen campaigns away was intended as a chance for him to rediscover his best and, most importantly, rekindle a love of football that seemed gone after frustrating spells with PSG and Al Hilal.
Conversely, it has been generally unsatisfactory for all parties involved.
Such is the situation that the primary concern being asked right now in Brazil is whether Neymar will be part of the 2026 World Cup.
He's against the clock.
"Even the stars have to demonstrate that they are ready. The time is passing [for him]," 1970 World Cup-winner Tostao wrote in his regular feature.
On midweek, Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti revealed his squad for the forthcoming matches against South Korea and the Asian nation and, once again, Neymar was not in it.
"O Principe", as he was nicknamed when received 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 continues to be an injury doubt for the autumn fixtures, which, in the worst scenario, will leave him with just a pair of friendly matches in March 2026 to prove himself to Ancelotti before the revealing of the final list for the World Cup.
"Over a decade and a half, Neymar was Brazil's unquestioned talisman, bearing enormous expectations on his own," Brazilian icon Cafu stated.
"But no one wins the World Cup single-handedly. Putting all our expectations on him at the moment is difficult because he finds it hard to even play multiple matches 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 been absent for 47% of Santos' matches this campaign - but, when he was able to play, he was a distant from the player who during his prime dared to challenge the Argentine maestro and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Of his nine goal contributions so far, half have come against teams from lower tiers than 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 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 maintained that the forward has plenty of time to show he is fit for the World Cup.
"His objective must be to be ready in June. It isn't crucial if he's in the squad in autumn, November or spring," the coach told L'Equipe newspaper.
Ancelotti created local debate last month by allegedly attempting to protect Neymar, suggesting 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 fan opinion, it undoubtedly worsened the situation for Neymar.
"If the player we have pinned our dreams on to win the World Cup is excluded for technical reasons, evidently something isn't right," Cafu observed.
Is a Ronaldo-style comeback possible for Neymar?
Polls from a leading polling institute found that the Brazilian public are divided over whether Neymar should be called up for his fourth World Cup.
With his record tally, Neymar is Brazil's historical leading marksman, 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 multiple times in stadiums - it happened in successive games in July.
The following month, the forward was emotional after Santos endured a 6-0 loss at home by their rivals - the worst result of his career.
When questioned by a journalist about his physical state in a post-match interview, he became frustrated: "This topic again, friend? 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 strategy was to spend five months at Santos. For what? To recover. If Neymar managed to play, so be it," he earlier stated, causing anger among fans.
There's still a slight hope, however, that Neymar's best days aren't over and that he will be able to revive his career the same way forward Ronaldo "Phenomenon" did in the 2002 World Cup to overcome skepticism and physical setbacks to guide Brazil to the World Cup title.
The former Real Madrid, Barcelona and Inter Milan legend observes similarities.
"He's a crucial 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 ignoring his fitness rehabilitation.
Anyone who have been in football recognize fully how hard it is to recover from an injury and restore rhythm and confidence. 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.
