🔗 Share this article 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 - while engaging in an online poker tournament. The 33-year-old Brazilian ace eventually placed as second place, earning around £73,800 in tournament winnings. It was partial comfort on a day when he had to observe the player who previously succeeded him at Barcelona receive the award he had long hoped to win. After returning to his boyhood club Santos in January, the experienced attacker has failed to live up to expectations, attracting more attention for episodes like this than for his football. His homecoming after 12 seasons away was intended as a chance for him to regain his form and, crucially, rekindle a passion for the game that seemed diminished after frustrating spells with PSG and the Saudi club. Instead, it has been generally unsatisfactory for all parties involved. This reflects the situation that the main question being asked right now in Brazil is if Neymar will make it to the 2026 World Cup. He's against the clock. "All players have to demonstrate that they are prepared. The clock is ticking [for him]," Brazilian legend Tostao commented in his regular feature. On midweek, Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti revealed his team selection for the forthcoming matches against Korea Republic and the Asian nation and, once again, Neymar was not in it. "O Principe", as he was dubbed when received at Santos in a nod toward the king Pele, is still awaiting his debut under Ancelotti, having been absent from the national team for two years. He continues to be an fitness concern 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, shouldering huge responsibility on his own," Brazilian icon Cafu remarked. "But nobody wins the World Cup single-handedly. Placing all our hopes on him at the present time is challenging because he has difficulty to even play multiple matches in a row." 'Omission based on skill level signals deeper issues' Not just has Neymar had multiple fitness issues since his return to Brazil - he's missed 47% of Santos' matches this campaign - but, when he was able to play, he was a different to the player who during his zenith dared to challenge the Argentine maestro and Cristiano Ronaldo. Of his several attacking returns so far, five have come against teams from lower tiers than Brazil's top flight - a scoring contribution against a lower-league side, followed by a goal and two assists versus another lower-division opponent, all in the Sao Paulo State Championship. As Santos battle against demotion in the Brazilian first tier, the playmaker no longer seems to be the difference maker he once was. Nevertheless, Ancelotti has maintained that the forward has sufficient months to show he is ready for the World Cup. "His objective must be to be prepared in June. It isn't crucial if he's in the squad in autumn, November or March," the Italian told French media. Ancelotti stirred local controversy last month by allegedly attempting to protect Neymar, claiming the star had been omitted from the team over fitness concerns. But then Neymar himself challenged the claim, saying he "was left out for technical reasons; it has no connection to my physical condition." In terms of popular view, it definitely didn't help for Neymar. "If the player we have placed all our hopes on to deliver the World Cup is excluded for technical reasons, obviously something isn't right," Cafu commented. Will Neymar be capable of emulating Ronaldo in 2002? Studies from a leading polling institute found that the Brazilian public are divided over whether Neymar should be included 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 greater frustration than usual, having exchanged words with fans multiple times in venues - it occurred in successive games in July. The next month, the striker was left in tears after Santos suffered a six-goal home defeat by their rivals - the biggest loss of his career. When asked by a journalist about his physical state in a post-match interview, he became frustrated: "Again with this, friend? I've answered 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 five months at Santos. For what? To recover. If Neymar managed to play, so be it," he earlier stated, causing displeasure among followers. There's remaining optimism, however, that Neymar's prime period haven't ended and that he will be able to revive his career the same way forward Ronaldo "Fenômeno" did in the 2002 World Cup to overcome criticism and injuries to lead Brazil to the World Cup title. The former Real Madrid, Barcelona and Inter Milan legend notes parallels. "He's a vital 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 misrepresentation from a minority who believe he's neglecting his physical recovery. Anyone who have been in football understand completely how difficult it is to come back from an injury and regain rhythm and confidence. He's progressing well." The Santos star has a critical period ahead to prove that he's not the prince who relinquished his status.