Brazil's Unquestioned Star? Neymar Jr's World Cup Countdown Challenge
While Ousmane Dembele was crowned the prestigious football award in late September, Neymar was undergoing therapy for his third injury of the year - simultaneously engaging in an online poker tournament.
The 33-year-old football star eventually placed as second place, securing around £73,800 in tournament winnings.
It was limited solace on a day when he had to watch the player who previously succeeded him at Barcelona lift the award he had long hoped to win.
After 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 episodes like this than for his football.
His homecoming after a dozen campaigns away was intended as a chance for him to rediscover his best and, crucially, revive a love of football that seemed gone after disappointing periods with Paris St-Germain and the Saudi club.
Instead, it has been widely disappointing for everyone concerned.
This reflects the situation that the primary concern being asked right now in Brazil is whether Neymar will participate in the upcoming global tournament.
He's against the clock.
"All players have to demonstrate that they are ready. The time is passing [for him]," 1970 World Cup-winner Tostao stated in his regular feature.
On midweek, Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti revealed his team selection for the forthcoming matches against Korea Republic and the Asian nation and, once again, Neymar was not in it.
"The Prince", as he was dubbed when welcomed back at Santos in a nod toward the king Pele, is yet to play under Ancelotti, having been absent from the Selecao for 24 months.
He continues to be an injury doubt for the November games, which, in the most pessimistic outlook, will leave him with only two friendly matches in March 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 unquestioned talisman, shouldering huge responsibility on his own," Brazilian icon Cafu remarked.
"But nobody wins the World Cup single-handedly. Putting all our hopes on him at the moment is problematic because he struggles to even play three games in a row."
'Omission based on skill level signals deeper issues'
Not only has Neymar had repeated injury problems since his homecoming - he's missed nearly half of Santos' matches this season - but, when he was available for selection, he was a distant from the player who during his zenith competed with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Of his several attacking returns so far, half have come against teams from lower tiers than Brazil's top flight - a scoring contribution against a lower-league side, 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 once was.
Despite that, Ancelotti has insisted that the forward has sufficient months to show he is fit for the World Cup.
"His goal must be to be ready in June. It doesn't matter if he's in the squad in October, late autumn or March," the Italian told L'Equipe newspaper.
Ancelotti created 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 disputed it, saying he "was excluded for technical reasons; it has nothing to do with my physical condition."
In terms of public perception, it certainly didn't make it any better for Neymar.
"If the player we have placed all our hopes on to win the World Cup is left out for performance issues, obviously issues exist," Cafu commented.
Can Neymar follow Ronaldo's 2002 example?
Research from Datafolha found that the Brazilian public are divided over whether Neymar should be included for his next global tournament.
With his 79 goals, Neymar is Brazil's all-time top scorer, but he hasn't helped his case much with his behaviour on the pitch either.
He seems greater frustration than usual, having exchanged words with fans multiple times in stadiums - it happened in three consecutive matches in mid-year.
The next month, the forward was emotional after Santos suffered a six-goal home defeat by their rivals - the heaviest defeat of his professional life.
When asked by a reporter about his physical state in a post-match interview, he also lost his patience: "Again with this, mate? I've responded to this countless times already."
The identical inquiry has been directed at his parent representative Neymar Sr as well.
"Neymar's plan was to remain for a limited period at Santos. For what? To recover. If Neymar managed to play, so be it," he earlier stated, causing anger among followers.
There's still a slight hope, however, that Neymar's best days haven't ended 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 injuries to guide Brazil to the World Cup title.
The Brazilian great observes similarities.
"He's a crucial player for Brazil - there's nobody like Neymar," Ronaldo declared during a recent event with the forward in the Brazilian city.
"It's an misrepresentation from a minority who believe he's neglecting his physical recovery.
Anyone who have been in football understand completely how challenging it is to return from an setback and restore rhythm and confidence. He's progressing well."
The Brazilian forward has a important timeframe ahead to show that he's not the prince who abandoned the throne.
