Brazil's Undisputed Superstar? Neymar's Global Tournament Countdown Challenge

As the French winger claimed the prestigious football award in late September, Neymar was undergoing therapy for his latest physical setback of the year - while participating in an online poker tournament.

The 33-year-old football star ultimately finished as second place, earning around £73,800 in tournament winnings.

It was some consolation on a day when he had to witness the player who once replaced 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 fallen short of expectations, attracting more attention for episodes like this than for his football.

His return home after a dozen campaigns away was meant to be a chance for him to rediscover his best and, crucially, restore a love of football that seemed lost after disappointing periods with PSG and the Saudi club.

Instead, it has been largely underwhelming for each stakeholder.

This reflects the situation that the main question being asked right now in Brazil is if Neymar will make it to the upcoming global tournament.

He's facing a deadline.

On Wednesday, Brazil manager the Italian tactician revealed his team selection for the forthcoming matches against Korea Republic and Japan and, yet again, Neymar was excluded.

"The Prince", 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 Selecao for two years.

He continues to be an injury doubt for the November games, which, in the worst scenario, will leave him with just a pair of exhibition games in spring 2026 to demonstrate his worth to Ancelotti before the revealing of the definitive squad for the World Cup.

"But nobody wins the World Cup alone. Placing all our expectations on him at the moment is difficult because he has difficulty to even play multiple matches in a row."

Not just has Neymar had various physical concerns since his return to Brazil - he's missed 47% of Santos' matches this season - but, when he was available for selection, he was a different to the player who during his peak rivaled the Argentine maestro and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Of his several attacking returns so far, half 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 Inter de Limeira, all in the Sao Paulo State Championship.

As Santos fight relegation in the Brazilian first tier, the playmaker no longer seems to be the game-changer he once was.

Nevertheless, Ancelotti has maintained that the forward has sufficient months to show he is fit for the World Cup.

Ancelotti stirred local debate last month by allegedly attempting to protect Neymar, suggesting the star had been omitted from the team over fitness concerns.

But then Neymar himself contradicted this, saying he "was left out for technical reasons; it has nothing to do with my physical condition."

In terms of popular view, it undoubtedly worsened the situation for Neymar.

Studies from Datafolha found that the Brazilian public are divided over whether Neymar should be selected for his fourth World Cup.

With his 79 goals, Neymar is Brazil's historical leading marksman, but he hasn't helped his case much with his conduct during matches either.

He seems greater frustration than normal, having confronted fans multiple times in stadiums - it occurred in three consecutive matches in mid-year.

The next month, the forward was emotional after Santos endured a 6-0 loss at home by their rivals - the biggest loss of his career.

When questioned by a journalist about his physical state in a game aftermath discussion, he became frustrated: "Again with this, mate? I've responded to this repeatedly already."

The identical inquiry has been directed at his father and agent Neymar Sr as well.

"Neymar's strategy was to remain for a limited period at Santos. To what end? To regain fitness. If Neymar was able to feature, amen," he previously explained, causing displeasure among fans.

There's continuing belief, however, that Neymar's peak years haven't ended and that he will be able to resurrect his form the same way striker Ronaldo "Fenômeno" did in the 2002 World Cup to surmount criticism and injuries to lead Brazil to the championship trophy.

The Brazilian great observes comparisons.

"It's an exaggeration from a small group who believe he's disregarding his fitness rehabilitation.

Those who have been in football knows perfectly how difficult it is to come back from an setback and regain rhythm and confidence. He's moving forward."

The Brazilian forward has a critical period ahead to prove that he's not the heir who abandoned the throne.