Brazil's Undisputed Star? Neymar's Global Tournament Race Against Time
As Ousmane Dembele was crowned the 2025 Ballon d'Or in the autumn months, Neymar was receiving treatment for his third injury of the year - while taking part in an online poker tournament.
The 33-year-old football star eventually placed as second place, earning around £73,800 in tournament winnings.
It was partial comfort on a day when he had to observe the player who once replaced him at Barcelona receive the award he had long hoped to win.
Since coming back to his youth team Santos in the new year, the 33-year-old forward has failed to live up to expectations, attracting more attention for comparable situations than for his football.
His homecoming after a dozen campaigns away was meant to be a chance for him to return to peak condition and, most importantly, restore a passion for the game that seemed lost after frustrating spells with Paris St-Germain and Al Hilal.
Conversely, it has been largely underwhelming for everyone concerned.
This reflects the situation that the primary concern being asked right now in Brazil is if Neymar will participate in the 2026 World Cup.
He's facing a deadline.
"Even the stars have to demonstrate that they are fit. The deadline approaches [for him]," 1970 World Cup-winner Tostao wrote in his regular feature.
On midweek, Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti announced his squad for the upcoming games against South Korea and Japan and, yet again, Neymar was excluded.
"O Principe", as he was dubbed 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 autumn fixtures, which, in the worst scenario, will leave him with just a pair of exhibition games in spring 2026 to prove himself to Ancelotti before the announcement of the final list for the World Cup.
"Over a decade and a half, Neymar was Brazil's undisputed star, shouldering enormous expectations on his own," Brazilian icon Cafu remarked.
"But no one wins the World Cup single-handedly. Placing all our expectations on him at the present time is problematic because he finds it hard to even play three games in a row."
'If Neymar is left out for technical reasons, something isn't right'
Not only has Neymar had various physical concerns since his homecoming - he's missed 47% of Santos' matches this season - but, when he was available for selection, he was a far cry from the player who during his prime rivaled the Argentine maestro and the Portuguese icon.
Of his nine goal contributions so far, half have come against teams from divisions below Brazil's first division - a scoring contribution against Agua Santa, followed by a three goal involvements versus another lower-division opponent, all in the Sao Paulo State Championship.
As Santos fight relegation in the Brazilian first tier, the playmaker no longer seems to be the difference maker he previously represented.
Despite that, Ancelotti has maintained that the forward has sufficient months to show he is prepared for the World Cup.
"His objective must be to be prepared in summer. It doesn't matter if he's in the squad in autumn, November or March," the Italian told L'Equipe newspaper.
Ancelotti stirred local debate last month by reportedly trying to protect Neymar, suggesting the star had been omitted from the team over physical condition issues.
But then Neymar himself challenged the claim, saying he "was excluded for technical reasons; it has nothing to do with my physical condition."
In terms of fan opinion, it undoubtedly worsened the situation for Neymar.
"If the player we have placed all our hopes on to deliver the World Cup is left out for technical reasons, evidently something isn't right," Cafu observed.
Is a Ronaldo-style comeback possible for Neymar?
Studies from a leading polling institute found that Brazilians are split over whether Neymar should be selected for his next global tournament.
With his 79 goals, Neymar is Brazil's all-time top scorer, 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 stadiums - it happened in three consecutive matches in mid-year.
The following month, the forward was left in tears after Santos endured a 6-0 home defeat by their rivals - the biggest loss of his career.
When questioned by a journalist about his fitness condition in a post-match interview, he became frustrated: "This topic again, mate? I've answered this 500 times already."
The same kind of question has been directed at his parent representative Neymar Sr as well.
"Neymar's plan was to spend a limited period at Santos. For what? To recover. If Neymar managed to play, amen," he previously explained, causing anger among followers.
There's remaining optimism, however, that Neymar's peak years aren't over and that he will be able to resurrect his form the same way striker Ronaldo "Phenomenon" did in 2002 to surmount skepticism and injuries to guide Brazil to the championship trophy.
The Brazilian great notes parallels.
"He's a essential player for Brazil - there's nobody like Neymar," Ronaldo stated during a recent event with the forward in Sao Paulo.
"It's an overstatement from a minority who believe he's ignoring his fitness rehabilitation.
Those 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 Brazilian forward has a critical period ahead to demonstrate that he's not the heir who relinquished his status.
