Brazil's Unquestioned Star? Neymar Jr's Global Tournament Countdown Challenge
As Ousmane Dembele claimed the prestigious football award in late September, Neymar was undergoing therapy for his third injury of the year - simultaneously taking part in an virtual card tournament.
The veteran Brazilian ace eventually placed as second place, collecting around £73,800 in prize money.
It was partial comfort on a day when he had to observe the player who previously succeeded him at Barcelona claim the award he had long hoped to win.
After returning to his youth team Santos in January, the experienced attacker has fallen short of expectations, drawing more attention for comparable situations than for his football.
His homecoming after 12 seasons away was intended as a chance for him to rediscover his best and, crucially, rekindle a love of football that seemed gone after frustrating spells with PSG and the Saudi club.
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 make it to the 2026 World Cup.
He's facing a deadline.
"All players have to demonstrate that they are ready. The clock is ticking [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 Korea Republic and Japan and, yet again, Neymar was excluded.
"O Principe", as he was nicknamed when received at Santos in a reference to the legend Pelé, is still awaiting his debut under Ancelotti, having been missing from the national team for two years.
He also remains an fitness concern for the autumn fixtures, which, in the worst scenario, will leave him with only two exhibition games in March 2026 to prove himself to Ancelotti before the revealing of the definitive squad for the World Cup.
"Over a decade and a half, Neymar was Brazil's undisputed star, 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 expectations on him at the moment is challenging because he struggles to even play multiple matches in a row."
'Omission based on skill level signals deeper issues'
Not only has Neymar had multiple fitness issues since his return to Brazil - he's missed 47% of Santos' matches this season - but, when he was able to play, he was a different to the player who during his peak dared to challenge the Argentine maestro and the Portuguese icon.
Of his several attacking returns so far, half have come against teams from divisions below Brazil's first division - a goal and assist against a lower-league side, followed by a three goal involvements versus Inter de Limeira, all in the Sao Paulo State Championship.
As Santos battle against demotion in the Brazilian first tier, the playmaker no longer seems to be the game-changer he previously represented.
Nevertheless, Ancelotti has maintained that the forward has ample opportunity to show he is ready for the World Cup.
"His goal must be to be prepared in June. It doesn't matter if he's in the squad in October, November or spring," the Italian told L'Equipe newspaper.
Ancelotti caused local discussion last month by allegedly attempting to protect Neymar, stating the star had been excluded from the team over physical condition issues.
But then Neymar himself contradicted this, saying he "was left out for technical reasons; it has no connection to my fitness level."
In terms of popular view, 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 something isn't right," Cafu said.
Can Neymar follow Ronaldo's 2002 example?
Polls from a leading polling institute found that the Brazilian public are divided over whether Neymar should be called up 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 increased agitation than normal, having exchanged words with fans multiple times in venues - it happened in three consecutive matches in July.
The following month, the forward was left in tears after Santos suffered a 6-0 loss at home by their rivals - the worst result of his professional life.
When questioned by a reporter about his physical state in a game aftermath discussion, he also lost his patience: "Again with this, mate? I've responded to this repeatedly already."
The similar query has been posed to his parent representative Neymar Sr as well.
"Neymar's intention was to spend five months at Santos. For what? To recover. If Neymar managed to play, so be it," he previously explained, causing anger among fans.
There's still a slight hope, however, that Neymar's prime period haven't ended and that he will be able to revive his career the same way striker Ronaldo "Phenomenon" did in the 2002 World Cup to surmount criticism and injuries to guide Brazil to the World Cup title.
The Brazilian great sees similarities.
"He's a essential player for Brazil - there's nobody like Neymar," Ronaldo stated during a recent appearance with the forward in the Brazilian city.
"It's an misrepresentation from a small group who believe he's disregarding his physical recovery.
Anyone who have been in football understand completely how hard it is to come back from an injury and regain form and self-belief. He's right on track."
The Brazilian forward has a critical period ahead to show that he's not the prince who abandoned the throne.
