The Brazilian Unquestioned Star? Neymar's Global Tournament Race Against Time
As Ousmane Dembele was crowned the 2025 Ballon d'Or in the autumn months, the Brazilian sensation was lying in bed for his latest physical setback of the year - simultaneously taking part in an virtual card tournament.
The 33-year-old football star ultimately finished as runner-up, collecting around seventy-three thousand pounds in tournament winnings.
It was some consolation on a day when he had to watch the player who once replaced him at Barcelona lift the award he had consistently dreamed to win.
After returning to his boyhood club Santos in the new year, the experienced attacker has failed to live up to expectations, drawing more attention for episodes like this than for his football.
His return home after a dozen campaigns away was meant to be a chance for him to rediscover his best and, most importantly, restore a love of football that seemed gone after disappointing periods 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 against the clock.
"All players have to demonstrate that they are prepared. The clock is ticking [for him]," 1970 World Cup-winner Tostao stated in his regular feature.
On midweek, Brazil head coach the Italian tactician revealed his squad for the upcoming games against South Korea and the Asian nation 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 national team for two years.
He also remains an fitness concern for the November games, which, in the most pessimistic outlook, will leave him with just a pair of 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 unquestioned talisman, bearing huge responsibility on his own," former AC Milan and Roma legend Cafu stated.
"But no one wins the World Cup alone. Putting all our expectations on him at the present time is challenging because he struggles to even play three games 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 missed nearly half of Santos' matches this season - but, when he was available for selection, he was a distant from the player who during his zenith competed with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Of his several attacking returns so far, five have come against teams from divisions below Brazil's top flight - a goal and assist 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 playmaker no longer seems to be the decisive factor he previously represented.
Despite that, Ancelotti has asserted that the forward has ample opportunity to show he is prepared for the World Cup.
"His goal must be to be prepared in June. It isn't crucial if he's in the squad in October, late autumn or spring," the coach told L'Equipe newspaper.
Ancelotti caused local controversy last month by reportedly trying to shield Neymar, suggesting the star had been excluded from the team over fitness concerns.
But then Neymar himself challenged the claim, saying he "was excluded for tactical decisions; it has no connection to my physical condition."
In terms of popular view, it certainly didn't make it any better for Neymar.
"If the player we have invested our faith in to win the World Cup is excluded for performance issues, clearly there's a problem," Cafu commented.
Is a Ronaldo-style comeback possible for Neymar?
Studies from a leading polling institute found that Brazilians are divided over whether Neymar should be selected for his fourth World Cup.
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 more on edge than normal, having exchanged words with fans on several occasions in venues - it happened in successive games in July.
The next month, the forward was reduced to crying after Santos suffered a six-goal home defeat by Vasco da Gama - the heaviest defeat of his career.
When asked by a journalist about his fitness condition in a post-match interview, he became frustrated: "This topic again, friend? I've answered this 500 times already."
The same kind of question has been posed to his parent representative Neymar Sr as well.
"Neymar's strategy was to remain for a limited period at Santos. For what? To regain fitness. If Neymar managed to play, so be it," he previously explained, causing outrage among followers.
There's still a slight hope, however, that Neymar's best days aren't over and that he will be able to return to prominence the same way forward Ronaldo "Fenômeno" did in 2002 to surmount doubt and injuries to lead Brazil to the championship trophy.
The Brazilian great observes parallels.
"He's a essential player for Brazil - there's no one else like Neymar," Ronaldo said during a recent appearance with the forward in the Brazilian city.
"It's an misrepresentation from a small group who believe he's ignoring his fitness rehabilitation.
Anyone who have been in football recognize fully how challenging it is to come back from an injury and recover rhythm and confidence. He's right on track."
The Brazilian forward has a few decisive months ahead to show that he's not the heir who abandoned the throne.
