The Brazilian Unquestioned Superstar? Neymar's World Cup Countdown Challenge

As the French winger was crowned the prestigious football award in late September, the Brazilian sensation was receiving treatment for his latest physical setback of the year - while taking part in an online poker tournament.

The veteran football star eventually placed as second place, collecting around seventy-three thousand pounds in prize money.

It was partial comfort on a day when he had to witness the player who once replaced him at Barcelona receive the award he had long hoped to win.

After returning to his youth team Santos in the new year, the 33-year-old forward has fallen short of expectations, attracting more attention for similar incidents than for his on-field performances.

His homecoming after a dozen campaigns away was intended as a chance for him to regain his form and, most importantly, revive a passion for the game that seemed gone after frustrating spells with PSG and Al Hilal.

Conversely, it has been largely underwhelming for each stakeholder.

Such is the situation that the main question being asked right now in Brazil is whether Neymar will be part of the 2026 World Cup.

He's against the clock.

On midweek, Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti disclosed his squad for the forthcoming matches against South Korea and the Asian nation and, once again, Neymar was absent.

"The Prince", as he was nicknamed when welcomed back at Santos in a nod toward the legend Pelé, is still awaiting his debut under Ancelotti, having been absent from the Selecao for two years.

He also remains an injury doubt for the November games, which, in the most pessimistic outlook, will leave him with just a pair of friendly matches in spring 2026 to prove himself to Ancelotti before the revealing of the final list for the World Cup.

"But no one wins the World Cup alone. Placing all our hopes on him at the moment is difficult because he finds it hard to even play three games in a row."

Not only has Neymar had repeated injury problems since his return to Brazil - he's missed 47% of Santos' matches this campaign - but, when he was available for selection, he was a different to the player who during his zenith dared to challenge Lionel Messi and the Portuguese icon.

Of his several attacking returns so far, five have come against teams from lower tiers than Brazil's first division - a scoring contribution against a lower-league side, followed by a goal and two assists versus another lower-division opponent, all in the regional competition.

As Santos battle against demotion in the Brazilian first tier, the playmaker no longer seems to be the decisive factor he previously represented.

Despite that, Ancelotti has asserted that the forward has plenty of time to show he is fit for the World Cup.

Ancelotti caused local debate last month by allegedly attempting to shield Neymar, stating the star had been excluded from the team over physical condition issues.

But then Neymar himself disputed it, saying he "was excluded for technical reasons; it has no connection to my fitness level."

In terms of public perception, it definitely didn't help for Neymar.

Research from Datafolha found that the Brazilian public are divided over whether Neymar should be called up for his next global tournament.

With his 79 goals, Neymar is Brazil's all-time top scorer, but he hasn't improved his situation much with his behaviour on the pitch either.

He seems increased agitation than usual, having confronted fans repeatedly in stadiums - it happened in successive games in mid-year.

The next month, the forward was left in tears after Santos suffered a six-goal home defeat by their rivals - the worst result of his professional life.

When asked by a journalist about his physical state in a post-match interview, he showed irritation: "This topic again, friend? I've answered this countless times already."

The same kind of question has been directed at his parent representative Neymar Sr as well.

"Neymar's intention was to spend five months 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 peak years haven't ended and that he will be able to revive his career the same way striker Ronaldo "Phenomenon" did in the 2002 World Cup to overcome criticism and physical setbacks to guide Brazil to the World Cup title.

The Brazilian great sees comparisons.

"It's an misrepresentation from a small group who believe he's disregarding his physical recovery.

Those who have been in football knows perfectly how challenging it is to return 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 abandoned the throne.