Brazil's Undisputed Star? Neymar Jr's World Cup Countdown Challenge
While Ousmane Dembele was crowned the prestigious football award in the autumn months, Neymar was undergoing therapy for his latest physical setback of the year - simultaneously participating in an virtual card tournament.
The 33-year-old football star eventually placed as runner-up, 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 claim the award he had long hoped to win.
After returning to his boyhood club 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 intended as a chance for him to return to peak condition and, most importantly, revive a love of football that seemed gone after frustrating spells with Paris St-Germain and Al Hilal.
Instead, it has been largely underwhelming for each stakeholder.
Such is the situation that the primary concern being asked right now in Brazil is whether Neymar will participate in the upcoming global tournament.
He's facing a deadline.
"Even the stars have to prove that they are prepared. The clock is ticking [for him]," Brazilian legend Tostao wrote in his regular feature.
On Wednesday, Brazil head coach the Italian tactician disclosed his squad 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 nod toward the legend Pelé, is yet to play under Ancelotti, having been absent from the Selecao for 24 months.
He also remains an injury doubt for the autumn fixtures, which, in the most pessimistic outlook, will leave him with only two exhibition games in March 2026 to prove himself to Ancelotti before the revealing of the final list for the World Cup.
"For 15 years, Neymar was Brazil's undisputed star, carrying huge responsibility on his own," Brazilian icon Cafu stated.
"But nobody wins the World Cup alone. Placing all our hopes on him at the present time is challenging because he has difficulty to even play multiple matches in a row."
'Technical exclusion raises serious questions about Neymar'
Not only has Neymar had repeated injury problems since his return to Brazil - he's been absent for nearly half of Santos' matches this campaign - but, when he was available for selection, he was a far cry from the player who during his prime rivaled Lionel Messi and the Portuguese icon.
Of his nine goal contributions so far, five have come against teams from lower tiers than Brazil's first division - a scoring contribution against Agua Santa, followed by a three goal involvements versus Inter de Limeira, all in the Sao Paulo State Championship.
As Santos battle against demotion in the top division, the playmaker no longer seems to be the game-changer he previously represented.
Nevertheless, Ancelotti has maintained that the forward has sufficient months to show he is fit for the World Cup.
"His aim must be to be prepared in June. It doesn't matter if he's in the squad in autumn, November or spring," the Italian told L'Equipe newspaper.
Ancelotti created local discussion last month by allegedly attempting 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 left out for tactical decisions; it has nothing to do with my fitness level."
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 commented.
Will Neymar be capable of emulating Ronaldo in 2002?
Polls from Datafolha found that the Brazilian public are split over whether Neymar should be selected for his next global tournament.
With his 79 goals, Neymar is Brazil's historical leading marksman, but he hasn't helped his case much with his behaviour on the pitch either.
He seems more on edge than normal, having argued with fans on several occasions in venues - it occurred in three consecutive matches in mid-year.
The next month, the forward was emotional after Santos endured a six-goal loss at home by Vasco da Gama - the worst result of his professional life.
When questioned by a journalist about his fitness condition in a post-match interview, he became frustrated: "Again with this, mate? I've answered this repeatedly already."
The identical inquiry has been directed at his parent representative Neymar Sr as well.
"Neymar's intention was to spend five months at Santos. To what end? To recover. If Neymar was able to feature, amen," he previously explained, causing outrage among followers.
There's still a slight hope, however, that Neymar's peak years haven't ended and that he will be able to resurrect his form the same way forward Ronaldo "Fenômeno" did in 2002 to surmount criticism and injuries to lead Brazil to the World Cup title.
The Brazilian great notes comparisons.
"He's a essential player for Brazil - there's no one else like Neymar," Ronaldo said during a recent appearance with the forward in Sao Paulo.
"It's an overstatement from a small group who believe he's disregarding his fitness rehabilitation.
Those who have been in football understand completely how difficult it is to recover from an setback and regain rhythm and confidence. He's right on track."
The Brazilian forward has a few decisive months ahead to demonstrate that he's not the prince who abandoned the throne.
