🔗 Share this article Brazil's Undisputed Superstar? Neymar Jr's World Cup Race Against Time While Ousmane Dembele received the 2025 Ballon d'Or in the autumn months, Neymar was lying in bed for his latest physical setback of the year - simultaneously participating in an online poker tournament. The veteran Brazilian ace ultimately finished as runner-up, collecting around £73,800 in tournament winnings. It was partial comfort on a day when he had to observe the player who once replaced him at Barcelona claim the award he had long hoped to win. After returning to his youth team Santos in January, the experienced attacker has failed to live up to expectations, drawing more attention for comparable situations than for his on-field performances. His homecoming after a dozen campaigns away was meant to be a chance for him to rediscover his best and, most importantly, rekindle a passion for the game that seemed lost after disappointing periods with Paris St-Germain and Al Hilal. Instead, it has been widely disappointing for all parties involved. Such is the situation that the key issue being asked right now in Brazil is if Neymar will make it to the upcoming global tournament. He's facing a deadline. "Even the stars have to prove that they are fit. The clock is ticking [for him]," Brazilian legend Tostao wrote in his regular feature. On midweek, Brazil manager the Italian tactician announced his squad for the upcoming games against Korea Republic and the Asian nation and, yet again, Neymar was excluded. "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 two years. He also remains an injury doubt for the November games, which, in the worst scenario, will leave him with only two friendly matches in March 2026 to prove himself to Ancelotti before the announcement of the definitive squad for the World Cup. "Over a decade and a half, Neymar was Brazil's undisputed star, bearing massive pressure on his own," former AC Milan and Roma legend Cafu stated. "But nobody wins the World Cup single-handedly. Putting all our expectations on him at the present time is problematic because he finds it hard to even play three games in a row." 'Technical exclusion raises serious questions about Neymar' Not just has Neymar had multiple fitness issues since his return to Brazil - he's been absent for 47% of Santos' matches this season - but, when he was available for selection, he was a far cry from the player who during his prime competed with the Argentine maestro and the Portuguese icon. Of his nine goal contributions so far, half have come against teams from lower tiers than Brazil's first division - a scoring contribution against a lower-league side, followed by a goal and two assists versus Inter de Limeira, all in the regional competition. As Santos fight relegation in the Brazilian first tier, the number 10 no longer seems to be the difference maker he once was. Despite that, Ancelotti has asserted that the forward has plenty of time to show he is fit for the World Cup. "His aim must be to be prepared in June. It doesn't matter if he's in the squad in October, late autumn or March," the Italian told L'Equipe newspaper. Ancelotti caused local controversy last month by reportedly trying to protect Neymar, claiming the star had been excluded from the team over physical condition issues. But then Neymar himself contradicted this, saying he "was excluded for technical reasons; it has no connection to my physical condition." In terms of public perception, it undoubtedly worsened the situation for Neymar. "If the player we have pinned our dreams on to win the World Cup is excluded for performance issues, evidently issues exist," Cafu observed. Will Neymar be capable of emulating Ronaldo in 2002? Polls from a leading polling institute found that the Brazilian public are split over whether Neymar should be selected 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 behaviour on the pitch either. He seems more on edge than normal, having argued with fans repeatedly in stadiums - it happened in three consecutive matches in July. The next month, the striker was emotional after Santos suffered a six-goal home defeat by their rivals - the biggest loss of his professional life. When asked by a reporter about his physical state in a post-match interview, he became frustrated: "Again with this, mate? I've responded to this 500 times already." The identical inquiry has been directed at his parent representative 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 earlier stated, causing anger among followers. There's remaining optimism, however, that Neymar's peak years haven't ended and that he will be able to revive his career the same way striker Ronaldo "Fenômeno" did in 2002 to overcome criticism and injuries 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 no one else like Neymar," Ronaldo said during a recent event with the forward in the Brazilian city. "It's an misrepresentation from a small group who believe he's disregarding his fitness rehabilitation. Those who have been in football recognize fully how difficult it is to return from an setback and regain rhythm and confidence. He's right on track." The Santos star has a important timeframe ahead to prove that he's not the prince who relinquished his status.