The Brazilian Unquestioned Star? Neymar Jr's Global Tournament Race Against Time
While the French winger was crowned the 2025 Ballon d'Or in the autumn months, the Brazilian sensation was undergoing therapy for his third injury of the year - simultaneously taking part in an virtual card tournament.
The veteran Brazilian ace ultimately finished as second place, earning 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 consistently dreamed to win.
After coming back to his youth team Santos in January, the experienced attacker has fallen short of expectations, drawing more attention for similar incidents than for his on-field performances.
His homecoming after 12 seasons away was meant to be a chance for him to return to peak condition and, most importantly, rekindle a love of football that seemed lost after frustrating spells with Paris St-Germain and Al Hilal.
Instead, it has been widely disappointing for each stakeholder.
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 facing a deadline.
"Even the stars have to prove that they are prepared. The time is passing [for him]," Brazilian legend Tostao wrote in his newspaper column.
On Wednesday, Brazil manager the Italian tactician announced his team selection for the upcoming games against Korea Republic and Japan and, once again, Neymar was excluded.
"The Prince", as he was nicknamed when welcomed back at Santos in a reference to the king Pele, is still awaiting his debut under Ancelotti, having been absent from the Selecao for 24 months.
He also remains an injury doubt for the November games, which, in the worst scenario, will leave him with only two friendly matches in spring 2026 to prove himself to Ancelotti before the revealing of the definitive squad for the World Cup.
"For 15 years, Neymar was Brazil's unquestioned talisman, carrying massive pressure on his own," Brazilian icon Cafu remarked.
"But no one wins the World Cup single-handedly. Putting all our hopes on him at the present time is difficult 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 homecoming - he's been absent for nearly half of Santos' matches this campaign - but, when he was able to play, he was a far cry from the player who during his peak dared to challenge Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Of his nine goal contributions so far, half have come against teams from lower tiers than Brazil's first division - a goal and assist against a lower-league side, followed by a goal and two assists versus another lower-division opponent, all in the Sao Paulo State Championship.
As Santos fight relegation in the top division, the number 10 no longer seems to be the game-changer he once was.
Despite that, Ancelotti has asserted 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 isn't crucial if he's in the squad in autumn, November or spring," the coach told French media.
Ancelotti stirred local discussion last month by allegedly attempting to protect Neymar, suggesting the star had been omitted from the team over fitness concerns.
But then Neymar himself challenged the claim, saying he "was left out for technical reasons; it has no connection to my physical condition."
In terms of public perception, it definitely didn't help for Neymar.
"If the player we have pinned our dreams on to deliver the World Cup is left out for performance issues, obviously issues exist," Cafu observed.
Can Neymar follow Ronaldo's 2002 example?
Polls from Datafolha found that the Brazilian public are split over whether Neymar should be selected for his next global tournament.
With his record tally, Neymar is Brazil's all-time top scorer, but he hasn't improved his situation much with his in-game attitude either.
He seems greater frustration than normal, having argued with fans repeatedly in stadiums - it occurred in successive games in mid-year.
The following month, the striker was emotional after Santos suffered a 6-0 loss at home by their rivals - the heaviest defeat of his career.
When questioned by a journalist about his fitness condition in a post-match interview, he showed irritation: "Again with this, friend? I've answered this countless times already."
The same kind of question has been directed at his father and agent Neymar Sr as well.
"Neymar's strategy was to remain for five months at Santos. To what end? To regain fitness. If Neymar managed to play, amen," he earlier stated, causing anger among fans.
There's still a slight hope, however, that Neymar's prime period remain possible and that he will be able to revive his career the same way forward Ronaldo "Fenômeno" did in 2002 to surmount skepticism and injuries to guide Brazil to the championship trophy.
The Brazilian great notes comparisons.
"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 exaggeration from a small group who believe he's disregarding his fitness rehabilitation.
Anyone who have been in football recognize fully how challenging it is to come back from an setback and restore rhythm and confidence. He's moving forward."
The Santos star has a important timeframe ahead to demonstrate that he's not the prince who abandoned the throne.
