🔗 Share this article The Brazilian Undisputed Superstar? Neymar's Global Tournament Countdown Challenge While Ousmane Dembele received the 2025 Ballon d'Or in late September, Neymar was undergoing therapy for his third injury of the year - simultaneously engaging in an online poker tournament. The 33-year-old football star eventually placed as second place, collecting around £73,800 in tournament winnings. It was some consolation on a day when he had to witness the player who previously succeeded him at Barcelona claim the award he had consistently dreamed to win. After coming back to his youth team 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 football. His homecoming after a dozen campaigns away was meant to be a chance for him to rediscover his best and, crucially, restore a passion for the game that seemed gone after disappointing periods with Paris St-Germain and Al Hilal. Conversely, it has been largely underwhelming for everyone concerned. Such is the situation that the primary concern being asked right now in Brazil is whether Neymar will make it to the 2026 World Cup. He's running out of time. "Even the stars have to prove that they are ready. The time is passing [for him]," Brazilian legend Tostao stated in his newspaper column. On Wednesday, Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti disclosed his squad for the forthcoming matches against Korea Republic and the Asian nation and, once again, Neymar was absent. "The Prince", as he was nicknamed when welcomed back at Santos in a nod toward the legend Pelé, is yet to play under Ancelotti, having been absent from the Selecao for 24 months. He continues to be an fitness concern for the November games, which, in the most pessimistic outlook, will leave him with only two friendly matches in spring 2026 to prove himself to Ancelotti before the revealing of the definitive squad for the World Cup. "For 15 years, Neymar was Brazil's undisputed star, bearing enormous expectations on his own," former AC Milan and Roma legend Cafu remarked. "But no one wins the World Cup alone. Placing all our hopes on him at the moment is problematic because he struggles to even play multiple matches in a row." 'Omission based on skill level signals deeper issues' Not just has Neymar had various physical concerns since his homecoming - he's missed nearly half of Santos' matches this season - but, when he was able to play, he was a different to the player who during his zenith rivaled Lionel Messi and the Portuguese icon. Of his nine goal contributions so far, five have come against teams from divisions below Brazil's first division - a scoring contribution against a lower-league side, followed by a three goal involvements versus another lower-division opponent, all in the Sao Paulo State Championship. As Santos fight relegation in the top division, the number 10 no longer seems to be the game-changer he once was. Nevertheless, Ancelotti has insisted that the forward has plenty of time to show he is prepared for the World Cup. "His goal must be to be ready in summer. It doesn't matter if he's in the squad in autumn, November or March," the Italian told L'Equipe newspaper. Ancelotti caused local discussion last month by allegedly attempting to protect Neymar, suggesting the star had been excluded from the team over fitness concerns. But then Neymar himself disputed it, saying he "was excluded for technical reasons; it has nothing to do with my physical condition." In terms of public perception, 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 commented. Is a Ronaldo-style comeback possible for Neymar? Studies from Datafolha found that Brazilians are divided over whether Neymar should be called up for his fourth World Cup. With his 79 goals, Neymar is Brazil's historical leading marksman, but he hasn't improved his situation much with his in-game attitude either. He seems more on edge than normal, having argued with fans on several occasions in stadiums - it happened in successive games in July. The next month, the striker was emotional after Santos endured a six-goal loss at home by Vasco da Gama - the worst result of his professional life. When questioned by a journalist about his physical state 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 posed to his parent representative Neymar Sr as well. "Neymar's strategy was to spend a limited period at Santos. To what end? To recover. If Neymar managed to play, so be it," he earlier stated, causing anger among fans. There's remaining optimism, however, that Neymar's peak years aren't over and that he will be able to revive his career the same way forward Ronaldo "Phenomenon" did in 2002 to surmount doubt and physical setbacks to lead Brazil to the championship trophy. The former Real Madrid, Barcelona and Inter Milan legend notes parallels. "He's a essential player for Brazil - there's nobody like Neymar," Ronaldo declared during a recent appearance with the forward in the Brazilian city. "It's an misrepresentation from a minority who believe he's neglecting his physical recovery. Anyone who have been in football recognize fully how hard it is to return from an setback and restore form and self-belief. He's progressing well." The Brazilian forward has a important timeframe ahead to show that he's not the heir who stepped away from greatness.