Brazil's Unquestioned Superstar? Neymar Jr's World Cup Race Against Time
While the French winger received the prestigious football award in the autumn months, the Brazilian sensation was lying in bed for his third injury of the year - simultaneously engaging in an virtual card tournament.
The veteran football star eventually placed as second place, collecting around £73,800 in prize money.
It was some consolation on a day when he had to observe the player who previously succeeded him at Barcelona claim the award he had long hoped to win.
After coming back to his boyhood club 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 homecoming after a dozen campaigns away was intended as a chance for him to return to peak condition and, most importantly, rekindle a passion for the game that seemed lost after disappointing periods with Paris St-Germain and the Saudi club.
Instead, it has been generally unsatisfactory for everyone concerned.
This reflects the situation that the key issue being asked right now in Brazil is whether Neymar will participate in the upcoming global tournament.
He's against the clock.
"Even the stars have to demonstrate that they are ready. The clock is ticking [for him]," Brazilian legend Tostao wrote in his newspaper column.
On midweek, Brazil head coach the Italian tactician announced his squad for the forthcoming matches against South Korea and the Asian nation and, yet again, Neymar was absent.
"O Principe", as he was dubbed when received at Santos in a reference to the legend Pelé, is yet to play under Ancelotti, having been absent from the national team for two years.
He continues to be an fitness concern for the November games, which, in the worst scenario, 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, shouldering enormous expectations on his own," former AC Milan and Roma legend Cafu said.
"But no one wins the World Cup single-handedly. Placing all our hopes on him at the moment is problematic because he finds it hard to even play three games in a row."
'Omission based on skill level signals deeper issues'
Not just has Neymar had repeated injury problems since his homecoming - he's been absent for 47% of Santos' matches this campaign - but, when he was able to play, he was a distant from the player who during his zenith rivaled 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 scoring contribution against Agua Santa, followed by a goal and two assists 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.
Nevertheless, Ancelotti has insisted that the forward has plenty of time to show he is ready for the World Cup.
"His goal must be to be prepared in summer. It isn't crucial if he's in the squad in autumn, November or March," the coach told French media.
Ancelotti created local controversy 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 fitness level."
In terms of popular view, it undoubtedly worsened the situation for Neymar.
"If the player we have pinned our dreams on to win the World Cup is left out for performance issues, evidently there's a problem," Cafu observed.
Can Neymar follow Ronaldo's 2002 example?
Studies from Datafolha found that the Brazilian public 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 increased agitation than normal, having confronted fans on several occasions in stadiums - it happened in three consecutive matches in mid-year.
The next month, the striker was reduced to crying after Santos suffered a 6-0 home defeat by Vasco da Gama - the heaviest defeat of his career.
When questioned by a reporter about his physical state in a game aftermath discussion, he showed irritation: "Again with this, friend? I've responded to this 500 times already."
The same kind of question has been posed to his parent representative Neymar Sr as well.
"Neymar's intention was to spend five months at Santos. To what end? To regain fitness. If Neymar managed to play, amen," he earlier stated, causing anger among fans.
There's still a slight hope, however, that Neymar's peak years aren't over and that he will be able to resurrect his form the same way forward Ronaldo "Fenômeno" did in the 2002 World Cup to surmount doubt and physical setbacks to lead Brazil to the World Cup title.
The Brazilian great sees comparisons.
"He's a crucial player for Brazil - there's no one else like Neymar," Ronaldo declared during a recent appearance with the forward in Sao Paulo.
"It's an exaggeration from a minority who believe he's disregarding his fitness rehabilitation.
Those who have been in football understand completely how hard it is to recover from an setback and recover form and self-belief. He's moving forward."
The Brazilian forward has a important timeframe ahead to prove that he's not the heir who stepped away from greatness.
