🔗 Share this article Brazil's Undisputed Star? Neymar's Global Tournament Race Against Time As Ousmane Dembele was crowned the 2025 Ballon d'Or in late September, Neymar was receiving treatment for his third injury of the year - while participating in an virtual card tournament. The veteran Brazilian ace ultimately finished as second place, earning around seventy-three thousand pounds in prize money. It was partial comfort on a day when he had to witness the player who previously succeeded him at Barcelona lift the award he had consistently dreamed to win. After returning to his boyhood club Santos in January, the experienced attacker has fallen short of expectations, drawing more attention for similar incidents than for his on-field performances. His return home after a dozen campaigns away was intended as a chance for him to rediscover his best and, most importantly, revive a passion for the game that seemed gone after frustrating spells with PSG and Al Hilal. Conversely, it has been generally unsatisfactory for each stakeholder. 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 facing a deadline. "All players have to demonstrate 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 Korea Republic and the Asian nation and, yet again, Neymar was not in it. "The Prince", as he was nicknamed when received 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 also remains an fitness concern for the autumn fixtures, which, in the worst scenario, will leave him with only two exhibition games in spring 2026 to demonstrate his worth to Ancelotti before the announcement of the final list for the World Cup. "Over a decade and a half, Neymar was Brazil's undisputed star, carrying huge responsibility on his own," former AC Milan and Roma legend Cafu said. "But nobody wins the World Cup alone. Putting all our expectations on him at the moment is challenging because he has difficulty to even play multiple matches in a row." 'Omission based on skill level signals deeper issues' Not only has Neymar had various physical concerns since his homecoming - he's been absent for 47% of Santos' matches this season - but, when he was able to play, he was a different to the player who during his zenith rivaled the Argentine maestro and the Portuguese icon. Of his several attacking returns so far, five have come against teams from divisions below Brazil's first division - a goal and assist against a lower-league side, followed by a goal and two assists versus another lower-division opponent, all in the regional competition. As Santos fight relegation in the top division, the playmaker no longer seems to be the difference maker he once was. Despite that, Ancelotti has asserted that the forward has sufficient months to show he is prepared for the World Cup. "His objective must be to be prepared in June. It doesn't matter if he's in the squad in autumn, November or spring," the coach told French media. Ancelotti stirred local discussion last month by allegedly attempting to protect Neymar, suggesting the star had been omitted from the team over physical condition issues. But then Neymar himself contradicted this, saying he "was excluded for technical reasons; it has nothing to do with my fitness level." In terms of fan opinion, it certainly didn't make it any better for Neymar. "If the player we have placed all our hopes on to deliver the World Cup is excluded for performance issues, clearly something isn't right," Cafu commented. Can Neymar follow Ronaldo's 2002 example? Studies from Datafolha found that Brazilians are split over whether Neymar should be called up for his next global tournament. With his record tally, 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 usual, having argued with fans on several occasions in venues - it happened in successive games in July. The following month, the forward was reduced to crying after Santos suffered a six-goal home defeat by their rivals - the worst result of his career. When asked by a reporter about his fitness condition in a post-match interview, he showed irritation: "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 plan was to remain for five months at Santos. For what? To recover. If Neymar was able to feature, so be it," he previously explained, causing displeasure among fans. There's still a slight hope, however, that Neymar's prime period remain possible and that he will be able to resurrect his form the same way forward Ronaldo "Fenômeno" did in 2002 to overcome skepticism and physical setbacks to lead Brazil to the World Cup title. The former Real Madrid, Barcelona and Inter Milan legend sees parallels. "He's a vital player for Brazil - there's nobody like Neymar," Ronaldo declared 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 knows perfectly how hard it is to return from an setback and recover form and self-belief. He's progressing well." The Santos star has a few decisive months ahead to prove that he's not the heir who abandoned the throne.