đŸ”— Share this article The Brazilian Unquestioned Star? Neymar Jr's Global Tournament Race Against Time As the French winger claimed the prestigious football award in late September, the Brazilian sensation was undergoing therapy for his third injury of the year - while taking part in an online poker tournament. The 33-year-old football star eventually placed as runner-up, earning around seventy-three thousand pounds in tournament winnings. It was partial comfort on a day when he had to watch the player who previously succeeded him at Barcelona receive the award he had long hoped to win. Since coming back to his youth team Santos in the new year, the 33-year-old forward has failed to live up to expectations, drawing more attention for comparable situations than for his football. His return home after a dozen campaigns away was intended as a chance for him to rediscover his best and, crucially, rekindle a love of football that seemed diminished after disappointing periods with Paris St-Germain and the Saudi club. Conversely, it has been generally unsatisfactory for each stakeholder. This reflects the situation that the key issue being asked right now in Brazil is whether Neymar will be part of the 2026 World Cup. He's running out of time. "Even the stars have to prove that they are fit. The clock is ticking [for him]," 1970 World Cup-winner Tostao wrote in his regular feature. On Wednesday, Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti announced his squad for the forthcoming matches against South Korea and the Asian nation and, yet again, Neymar was absent. "O Principe", as he was nicknamed when received at Santos in a nod toward the king Pele, is yet to play under Ancelotti, having been absent from the national team for two years. He continues to be an injury doubt for the November games, which, in the worst scenario, will leave him with only two friendly matches in spring 2026 to prove himself to Ancelotti before the announcement of the final list for the World Cup. "For 15 years, Neymar was Brazil's clear standout, shouldering enormous expectations on his own," Brazilian icon Cafu stated. "But nobody wins the World Cup alone. Placing all our expectations on him at the moment is problematic because he finds it hard to even play multiple matches in a row." 'If Neymar is left out for technical reasons, something isn't right' Not just has Neymar had multiple fitness issues since his return to Brazil - he's missed 47% of Santos' matches this season - but, when he was available for selection, he was a far cry from the player who during his peak competed with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Of his nine goal contributions so far, five have come against teams from divisions below Brazil's first division - a goal and assist against Agua Santa, followed by a three goal involvements 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 game-changer he previously represented. Nevertheless, Ancelotti has maintained that the forward has ample opportunity to show he is ready for the World Cup. "His goal must be to be prepared in summer. It doesn't matter if he's in the squad in autumn, November or March," the coach told French media. Ancelotti created 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 challenged the claim, saying he "was excluded for technical reasons; it has nothing to do with my fitness level." In terms of public perception, it undoubtedly worsened the situation for Neymar. "If the player we have invested our faith in to win the World Cup is excluded for performance issues, clearly something isn't right," Cafu observed. Is a Ronaldo-style comeback possible for Neymar? Research from a leading polling institute found that the Brazilian public are split over whether Neymar should be included for his next global tournament. With his record tally, Neymar is Brazil's all-time top scorer, but he hasn't improved his situation much with his in-game attitude either. He seems increased agitation than usual, having exchanged words with fans on several occasions in stadiums - it occurred in three consecutive matches in July. The next month, the forward was emotional after Santos endured a six-goal home defeat by their rivals - the worst result of his professional life. When asked by a journalist about his fitness condition in a game aftermath discussion, he became frustrated: "This topic again, friend? I've responded to this 500 times already." The similar query has been posed to his father and agent Neymar Sr as well. "Neymar's intention was to remain for a limited period at Santos. For what? To recover. If Neymar was able to feature, so be it," he earlier stated, causing outrage among fans. There's remaining optimism, however, that Neymar's peak years 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 surmount criticism and physical setbacks to guide Brazil to the championship trophy. The former Real Madrid, Barcelona and Inter Milan legend sees parallels. "He's a crucial player for Brazil - there's nobody like Neymar," Ronaldo said during a recent appearance with the forward in Sao Paulo. "It's an overstatement from a minority who believe he's disregarding his fitness rehabilitation. Those who have been in football understand completely how difficult it is to recover from an setback and recover rhythm and confidence. He's progressing well." The Brazilian forward has a important timeframe ahead to show that he's not the heir who abandoned the throne.