Brazil's Unquestioned Star? Neymar's Global Tournament Race Against Time
While Ousmane Dembele received the prestigious football award in the autumn months, the Brazilian sensation was undergoing therapy for his third injury of the year - while taking part in an virtual card tournament.
The 33-year-old Brazilian ace ultimately finished as second place, earning around seventy-three thousand pounds in tournament winnings.
It was some consolation on a day when he had to watch the player who previously succeeded him at Barcelona receive the award he had long hoped to win.
After 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 similar incidents than for his on-field performances.
His return home after 12 seasons away was meant to be a chance for him to return to peak condition and, crucially, revive a love of football that seemed gone after disappointing periods with Paris St-Germain and Al Hilal.
Instead, it has been widely disappointing for all parties involved.
Such is the situation that the main question being asked right now in Brazil is whether Neymar will be part of the upcoming global tournament.
He's running out of time.
"All players have to demonstrate that they are ready. The deadline approaches [for him]," 1970 World Cup-winner Tostao wrote in his regular feature.
On midweek, Brazil head coach the Italian tactician revealed his team selection for the forthcoming matches against South Korea and Japan and, yet again, Neymar was absent.
"O Principe", as he was nicknamed when received at Santos in a reference to the king Pele, is still awaiting his debut under Ancelotti, having been missing from the national team for 24 months.
He also remains an fitness concern for the November games, which, in the most pessimistic outlook, will leave him with just a pair of friendly matches in March 2026 to demonstrate his worth to Ancelotti before the revealing of the definitive squad for the World Cup.
"For 15 years, Neymar was Brazil's clear standout, bearing massive pressure on his own," Brazilian icon Cafu remarked.
"But no one wins the World Cup single-handedly. Putting all our expectations on him at the present time is challenging because he finds it hard to even play multiple matches 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 nearly half of Santos' matches this campaign - but, when he was available for selection, he was a distant from the player who during his prime competed with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Of his nine goal contributions so far, five have come against teams from lower tiers than Brazil's first division - a goal and assist against a lower-league side, followed by a goal and two assists versus another lower-division opponent, all in the Sao Paulo State Championship.
As Santos battle against demotion in the Brazilian first tier, 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 aim must be to be ready in June. It doesn't matter if he's in the squad in autumn, late autumn or spring," the coach told L'Equipe newspaper.
Ancelotti created local debate 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 disputed it, saying he "was excluded for tactical decisions; it has nothing to do with my fitness level."
In terms of public perception, it certainly didn't make it any better for Neymar.
"If the player we have pinned our dreams on to win the World Cup is left out for technical reasons, evidently there's a problem," Cafu observed.
Is a Ronaldo-style comeback possible for Neymar?
Research from a leading polling institute found that the Brazilian public are split over whether Neymar should be included 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 in-game attitude either.
He seems greater frustration than normal, having exchanged words with fans repeatedly in stadiums - it happened in three consecutive matches in mid-year.
The following month, the forward was reduced to crying after Santos suffered a 6-0 loss at home by their rivals - the biggest loss of his professional life.
When questioned by a journalist about his physical state in a post-match interview, he also lost his patience: "This topic again, mate? I've answered this 500 times already."
The same kind of question has been posed to his father and agent Neymar Sr as well.
"Neymar's plan was to spend a limited period at Santos. To what end? To recover. If Neymar managed to play, amen," he previously explained, causing outrage among followers.
There's continuing belief, however, that Neymar's prime period haven't ended and that he will be able to return to prominence the same way striker Ronaldo "Phenomenon" did in 2002 to surmount doubt and injuries to lead Brazil to the World Cup title.
The former Real Madrid, Barcelona and Inter Milan legend sees similarities.
"He's a crucial player for Brazil - there's nobody like Neymar," Ronaldo declared during a recent event with the forward in the Brazilian city.
"It's an overstatement from a small group who believe he's disregarding his physical recovery.
Those who have been in football understand completely how challenging it is to return from an setback and recover rhythm and confidence. He's progressing well."
The Santos star has a critical period ahead to prove that he's not the prince who relinquished his status.
