The Brazilian Undisputed Superstar? Neymar Jr's World Cup Race Against Time
While the French winger received the 2025 Ballon d'Or in the autumn months, the Brazilian sensation was receiving treatment for his latest physical setback of the year - while taking part in an online poker tournament.
The veteran Brazilian ace ultimately finished as runner-up, securing around £73,800 in tournament winnings.
It was some consolation on a day when he had to observe the player who once replaced 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 fallen short of expectations, attracting more attention for episodes like this than for his on-field performances.
His return home after a dozen campaigns away was meant to be a chance for him to regain his form and, most importantly, rekindle a passion for the game that seemed lost after disappointing periods with PSG and Al Hilal.
Instead, it has been largely underwhelming for all parties involved.
Such is the situation that the primary concern being asked right now in Brazil is if Neymar will make it to the upcoming global tournament.
He's facing a deadline.
"Even the stars have to prove that they are fit. The deadline approaches [for him]," Brazilian legend Tostao commented in his regular feature.
On Wednesday, Brazil manager the Italian tactician announced his squad for the forthcoming matches against South Korea and Japan and, once again, Neymar was absent.
"O Principe", as he was dubbed when received 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 just a pair of 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 clear standout, carrying huge responsibility on his own," Brazilian icon Cafu said.
"But no one wins the World Cup alone. Putting all our expectations on him at the moment is difficult because he struggles to even play three games in a row."
'Technical exclusion raises serious questions about Neymar'
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 far cry from the player who during his prime competed with the Argentine maestro and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Of his nine goal contributions so far, five 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 fight relegation in the Brazilian first tier, the playmaker no longer seems to be the decisive factor he previously represented.
Nevertheless, Ancelotti has insisted that the forward has ample opportunity to show he is fit for the World Cup.
"His goal must be to be ready in summer. It doesn't matter if he's in the squad in autumn, late autumn or spring," the Italian told L'Equipe newspaper.
Ancelotti stirred local discussion last month by reportedly trying 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 left out for tactical decisions; it has no connection to my fitness level."
In terms of fan opinion, it definitely didn't help for Neymar.
"If the player we have pinned our dreams on to win the World Cup is left out for technical reasons, clearly issues exist," Cafu said.
Is a Ronaldo-style comeback possible for Neymar?
Polls from a leading polling institute found that Brazilians are split over whether Neymar should be called up for his next global tournament.
With his record tally, Neymar is Brazil's all-time top scorer, but he hasn't helped his case much with his conduct during matches either.
He seems greater frustration than usual, having exchanged words with fans repeatedly in venues - it happened in successive games in mid-year.
The next month, the striker was reduced to crying after Santos suffered a 6-0 home defeat by Vasco da Gama - the biggest loss of his career.
When questioned by a reporter about his fitness condition in a post-match interview, he became frustrated: "This topic again, friend? I've answered this repeatedly already."
The identical inquiry has been directed at his parent representative Neymar Sr as well.
"Neymar's plan was to spend a limited period at Santos. To what end? To regain fitness. If Neymar was able to feature, so be it," he earlier stated, causing outrage among supporters.
There's continuing belief, however, that Neymar's best days haven't ended and that he will be able to return to prominence the same way striker Ronaldo "Fenômeno" did in the 2002 World Cup to surmount doubt and injuries to lead Brazil to the championship trophy.
The Brazilian great sees comparisons.
"He's a vital player for Brazil - there's no one else 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 recognize fully how hard it is to recover from an injury and recover rhythm and confidence. He's moving forward."
The Brazilian forward has a few decisive months ahead to demonstrate that he's not the prince who stepped away from greatness.