The Brazilian Undisputed Superstar? Neymar Jr's World Cup Countdown Challenge
While the French winger claimed the prestigious football award in the autumn months, Neymar was undergoing therapy for his third injury of the year - while engaging in an virtual card tournament.
The 33-year-old Brazilian ace eventually placed as second place, earning around seventy-three thousand pounds in prize money.
It was limited solace on a day when he had to witness the player who previously succeeded him at Barcelona claim the award he had consistently dreamed to win.
After returning to his youth team 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 return home after 12 seasons away was meant to be a chance for him to return to peak condition and, crucially, revive a love of football that seemed diminished after frustrating spells with PSG and Al Hilal.
Instead, it has been largely underwhelming for everyone concerned.
This reflects the situation that the main question being asked right now in Brazil is if Neymar will make it to the 2026 World Cup.
He's against the clock.
"All players have to demonstrate that they are fit. The time is passing [for him]," Brazilian legend Tostao stated in his regular feature.
On midweek, Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti disclosed his squad for the upcoming games against Korea Republic and the Asian nation and, yet again, Neymar was absent.
"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 missing from the Selecao for 24 months.
He continues to be an fitness concern for the November games, which, in the worst scenario, will leave him with just a pair of friendly matches in March 2026 to demonstrate his worth to Ancelotti before the announcement of the final list for the World Cup.
"For 15 years, Neymar was Brazil's clear standout, carrying enormous expectations on his own," former AC Milan and Roma legend Cafu remarked.
"But nobody wins the World Cup alone. Placing all our hopes on him at the present time is challenging 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 just has Neymar had repeated injury problems since his return to Brazil - he's missed 47% of Santos' matches this season - but, when he was able to play, he was a distant from the player who during his zenith dared to challenge 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 goal and two assists versus Inter de Limeira, all in the Sao Paulo State Championship.
As Santos battle against demotion in the top division, the playmaker no longer seems to be the difference maker he once was.
Despite that, Ancelotti has asserted that the forward has ample opportunity to show he is prepared for the World Cup.
"His objective must be to be prepared in summer. It isn't crucial if he's in the squad in autumn, late autumn or spring," the coach told French media.
Ancelotti created local debate last month by reportedly trying to shield 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 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 win the World Cup is left out for performance issues, clearly there's a problem," Cafu said.
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 record tally, Neymar is Brazil's historical leading marksman, but he hasn't helped his case much with his conduct during matches either.
He seems greater frustration than usual, having confronted fans repeatedly in stadiums - it occurred in successive games in mid-year.
The following month, the striker was reduced to crying after Santos endured a 6-0 home defeat by Vasco da Gama - the heaviest defeat of his career.
When questioned by a reporter about his physical state in a game aftermath discussion, he became frustrated: "This topic again, friend? I've responded to this countless times already."
The similar query has been posed to his parent representative Neymar Sr as well.
"Neymar's intention was to remain for five months at Santos. To what end? To recover. If Neymar was able to feature, amen," he earlier stated, causing outrage among supporters.
There's still a slight hope, however, that Neymar's best days 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 surmount doubt and physical setbacks to lead 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 Sao Paulo.
"It's an exaggeration from a small group who believe he's ignoring his physical recovery.
Those who have been in football knows perfectly how challenging it is to come back from an injury and restore rhythm and confidence. He's moving forward."
The Brazilian forward has a important timeframe ahead to prove that he's not the heir who relinquished his status.
