The Brazilian Unquestioned Star? Neymar's Global Tournament Race Against Time
As Ousmane Dembele received the prestigious football award in the autumn months, the Brazilian sensation was lying in bed for his third injury of the year - while participating in an online poker tournament.
The 33-year-old football star ultimately finished as runner-up, securing around seventy-three thousand pounds in tournament winnings.
It was some consolation on a day when he had to observe the player who once replaced him at Barcelona lift the award he had consistently dreamed to win.
Since coming back to his youth team Santos in January, the experienced attacker has failed to live up to expectations, drawing more attention for similar incidents than for his football.
His return home after 12 seasons away was meant to be a chance for him to regain his form and, crucially, restore a passion for the game that seemed lost after frustrating spells with Paris St-Germain and the Saudi club.
Conversely, it has been largely underwhelming for all parties involved.
This reflects the situation that the key issue being asked right now in Brazil is whether Neymar will make it to the upcoming global tournament.
He's facing a deadline.
"Even the stars have to prove that they are ready. The deadline approaches [for him]," 1970 World Cup-winner Tostao stated in his newspaper column.
On Wednesday, Brazil manager the Italian tactician revealed his squad for the forthcoming matches against South Korea and the Asian nation and, once again, Neymar was absent.
"The Prince", as he was dubbed when welcomed back at Santos in a reference to the legend Pelé, is still awaiting his debut under Ancelotti, having been absent from the Selecao for 24 months.
He continues to be an fitness concern for the autumn fixtures, which, in the worst scenario, will leave him with just a pair of exhibition games in March 2026 to prove himself to Ancelotti before the announcement of the final list for the World Cup.
"Over a decade and a half, Neymar was Brazil's unquestioned talisman, carrying enormous expectations on his own," Brazilian icon Cafu said.
"But no one wins the World Cup single-handedly. Putting all our expectations on him at the present time is difficult because he struggles to even play three games 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 47% of Santos' matches this season - but, when he was able to play, he was a distant from the player who during his prime rivaled Lionel Messi and the Portuguese icon.
Of his several attacking returns so far, half have come against teams from lower tiers than Brazil's top flight - a goal and assist against Agua Santa, followed by a three goal involvements versus another lower-division opponent, all in the regional competition.
As Santos fight relegation in the top division, the number 10 no longer seems to be the decisive factor he once was.
Nevertheless, Ancelotti has asserted that the forward has plenty of time to show he is fit for the World Cup.
"His goal must be to be ready in summer. It isn't crucial if he's in the squad in autumn, November 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 excluded from the team over physical condition issues.
But then Neymar himself challenged the claim, saying he "was excluded for tactical decisions; it has nothing to do with my physical condition."
In terms of fan opinion, it definitely didn't help for Neymar.
"If the player we have invested our faith in to deliver the World Cup is excluded for technical reasons, evidently something isn't right," Cafu observed.
Can Neymar follow Ronaldo's 2002 example?
Studies from Datafolha found that the Brazilian public are split 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 in-game attitude either.
He seems greater frustration than normal, having argued with fans on several occasions in stadiums - it occurred in successive games in July.
The next month, the forward was emotional after Santos endured a 6-0 loss at home by their rivals - the worst result of his career.
When asked by a journalist about his fitness condition in a game aftermath discussion, he also lost his patience: "Again with this, mate? I've responded to this repeatedly already."
The similar query has been directed at his parent representative Neymar Sr as well.
"Neymar's strategy was to spend five months at Santos. To what end? To regain fitness. If Neymar managed to play, amen," he previously explained, causing anger among fans.
There's continuing belief, however, that Neymar's prime period remain possible and that he will be able to resurrect his form the same way striker Ronaldo "Phenomenon" did in the 2002 World Cup to overcome skepticism and injuries to lead Brazil to the World Cup title.
The Brazilian great sees parallels.
"He's a crucial player for Brazil - there's nobody like Neymar," Ronaldo declared during a recent appearance with the forward in the Brazilian city.
"It's an overstatement from a small group who believe he's ignoring his physical recovery.
Those who have been in football recognize fully how challenging it is to return from an setback and recover form and self-belief. He's right on track."
The Santos star has a critical period ahead to demonstrate that he's not the prince who abandoned the throne.