Brazil's Unquestioned Star? Neymar's World Cup Countdown Challenge
As the French winger claimed the prestigious football award in the autumn months, Neymar was lying in bed for his third injury of the year - simultaneously engaging in an online poker tournament.
The veteran football star eventually placed as runner-up, earning around £73,800 in prize money.
It was partial comfort on a day when he had to watch the player who once replaced 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 fallen short of expectations, attracting more attention for similar incidents than for his football.
His return home after 12 seasons away was intended as a chance for him to return to peak condition and, crucially, revive a love of football that seemed gone after disappointing periods with PSG and the Saudi club.
Instead, it has been generally unsatisfactory for everyone concerned.
This reflects the situation that the key issue being asked right now in Brazil is if Neymar will be part of the upcoming global tournament.
He's against the clock.
"Even the stars have to demonstrate that they are prepared. The clock is ticking [for him]," Brazilian legend Tostao commented in his regular feature.
On midweek, Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti announced his team selection for the upcoming games against Korea Republic and Japan and, once again, Neymar was not in it.
"O Principe", as he was dubbed when received at Santos in a reference to the legend Pelé, is yet to play under Ancelotti, having been absent from the national team for 24 months.
He also remains an injury doubt for the November games, which, in the most pessimistic outlook, will leave him with only two friendly matches in spring 2026 to demonstrate his worth to Ancelotti before the announcement of the definitive squad for the World Cup.
"For 15 years, Neymar was Brazil's undisputed star, bearing massive pressure on his own," former AC Milan and Roma legend Cafu said.
"But no one wins the World Cup single-handedly. Placing all our expectations on him at the present time is problematic because he struggles to even play multiple matches in a row."
'Omission based on skill level signals deeper issues'
Not only has Neymar had various physical concerns since his return to Brazil - he's been absent for 47% of Santos' matches this campaign - but, when he was able to play, he was a different to the player who during his peak rivaled the Argentine maestro and the Portuguese icon.
Of his several attacking returns so far, half have come against teams from lower tiers than Brazil's top flight - a scoring contribution against Agua Santa, followed by a three goal involvements versus another lower-division opponent, all in the regional competition.
As Santos battle against demotion in the top division, the number 10 no longer seems to be the game-changer he once was.
Nevertheless, Ancelotti has maintained that the forward has plenty of time to show he is fit for the World Cup.
"His objective must be to be prepared in June. It doesn't matter if he's in the squad in October, November or March," the coach told French media.
Ancelotti stirred local discussion last month by reportedly trying to protect Neymar, stating the star had been omitted from the team over physical condition issues.
But then Neymar himself disputed it, saying he "was excluded for tactical decisions; it has nothing to do with my physical condition."
In terms of public perception, it undoubtedly worsened the situation for Neymar.
"If the player we have placed all our hopes on to win the World Cup is excluded for technical reasons, clearly issues exist," Cafu commented.
Can Neymar follow Ronaldo's 2002 example?
Polls from Datafolha found that the Brazilian public are divided over whether Neymar should be selected for his fourth World Cup.
With his record tally, Neymar is Brazil's historical leading marksman, but he hasn't improved his situation much with his in-game attitude either.
He seems increased agitation than usual, having exchanged words with fans on several occasions in stadiums - it happened in successive games in July.
The following month, the forward was left in tears after Santos endured a 6-0 home defeat by Vasco da Gama - the biggest loss of his professional life.
When questioned by a reporter about his fitness condition in a game aftermath discussion, he became frustrated: "Again with this, 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 plan was to remain for five months at Santos. For what? To recover. If Neymar was able to feature, so be it," he previously explained, causing displeasure among fans.
There's remaining optimism, however, that Neymar's prime period aren't over and that he will be able to return to prominence the same way striker Ronaldo "Fenômeno" did in the 2002 World Cup to surmount criticism and physical setbacks to lead Brazil to the World Cup title.
The former Real Madrid, Barcelona and Inter Milan legend notes parallels.
"He's a essential player for Brazil - there's no one else like Neymar," Ronaldo declared during a recent appearance with the forward in Sao Paulo.
"It's an overstatement from a small group who believe he's neglecting his physical recovery.
Anyone who have been in football knows perfectly how difficult it is to return from an setback and recover form and self-belief. He's right on track."
The Brazilian forward has a few decisive months ahead to prove that he's not the heir who abandoned the throne.
