🔗 Share this article Brazil's Undisputed Superstar? Neymar's Global Tournament Countdown Challenge While Ousmane Dembele was crowned the prestigious football award in late September, the Brazilian sensation was undergoing therapy for his latest physical setback of the year - while taking part in an virtual card tournament. The 33-year-old football star eventually placed as second place, earning around seventy-three thousand pounds in tournament winnings. It was limited solace on a day when he had to observe the player who once replaced him at Barcelona receive 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 episodes like this than for his football. His homecoming after a dozen campaigns away was meant to be a chance for him to rediscover his best and, crucially, rekindle a passion for the game that seemed diminished after disappointing periods with Paris St-Germain and Al Hilal. Conversely, it has been widely disappointing for everyone concerned. Such is the situation that the main question being asked right now in Brazil is whether Neymar will participate in the upcoming global tournament. He's against the clock. "All players have to demonstrate that they are prepared. The time is passing [for him]," Brazilian legend Tostao wrote in his newspaper column. On Wednesday, Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti disclosed his team selection for the forthcoming matches against Korea Republic and Japan and, once again, Neymar was not in it. "The Prince", as he was nicknamed when welcomed back at Santos in a nod toward the king Pele, is yet to play under Ancelotti, having been absent from the national team for 24 months. He continues to be an injury doubt for the autumn fixtures, which, in the worst scenario, will leave him with just a pair of friendly matches in spring 2026 to demonstrate his worth to Ancelotti before the announcement 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 said. "But no one wins the World Cup single-handedly. Placing all our hopes on him at the present time is problematic because he finds it hard to even play multiple matches in a row." 'Omission based on skill level signals deeper issues' Not only has Neymar had multiple fitness issues since his homecoming - he's missed nearly half of Santos' matches this campaign - but, when he was available for selection, he was a far cry from the player who during his zenith competed with the Argentine maestro and the Portuguese icon. Of his several attacking returns so far, five have come against teams from divisions below Brazil's top flight - a goal and assist 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 previously represented. Despite that, Ancelotti has insisted that the forward has sufficient months to show he is fit for the World Cup. "His goal must be to be prepared in summer. It isn't crucial if he's in the squad in October, November or March," the coach told French media. Ancelotti caused 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 disputed it, saying he "was excluded for tactical decisions; it has no connection to my physical condition." In terms of popular view, it certainly didn't make it any better for Neymar. "If the player we have invested our faith in to win the World Cup is left out for technical reasons, evidently something isn't right," Cafu commented. Will Neymar be capable of emulating Ronaldo in 2002? Polls 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 improved his situation much with his behaviour on the pitch either. He seems greater frustration than usual, having argued with fans multiple times in stadiums - it happened in three consecutive matches in mid-year. The next month, the striker was left in tears after Santos suffered a 6-0 home defeat by their rivals - the heaviest defeat of his career. 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 responded to this countless times already." The same kind of question has been posed to his parent representative Neymar Sr as well. "Neymar's strategy was to remain for a limited period at Santos. For what? To recover. If Neymar managed to play, so be it," he earlier stated, causing displeasure among fans. There's still a slight hope, however, that Neymar's peak years haven't ended and that he will be able to return to prominence the same way forward Ronaldo "Fenômeno" did in 2002 to overcome skepticism and physical setbacks to guide Brazil to the championship trophy. The Brazilian great notes comparisons. "He's a vital player for Brazil - there's nobody like Neymar," Ronaldo said during a recent appearance with the forward in the Brazilian city. "It's an exaggeration from a minority who believe he's disregarding his fitness rehabilitation. Those who have been in football knows perfectly how challenging it is to recover from an injury and regain form and self-belief. He's moving forward." The Brazilian forward has a few decisive months ahead to prove that he's not the prince who abandoned the throne.