🔗 Share this article Brazil's Unquestioned Star? Neymar Jr's World Cup Countdown Challenge As Ousmane Dembele was crowned the prestigious football award in late September, Neymar was lying in bed for his third injury of the year - simultaneously taking part in an virtual card tournament. The 33-year-old Brazilian ace eventually placed as runner-up, earning around £73,800 in tournament winnings. It was limited solace 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. After returning to his youth team Santos in the new year, the 33-year-old forward has fallen short of expectations, attracting more attention for episodes like this than for his on-field performances. His return home after 12 seasons away was intended as a chance for him to regain his form and, crucially, revive a love of football that seemed lost after frustrating spells with PSG and Al Hilal. Instead, it has been largely underwhelming for all parties involved. This reflects the situation that the primary concern being asked right now in Brazil is whether 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 deadline approaches [for him]," 1970 World Cup-winner Tostao stated in his newspaper column. On midweek, Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti revealed his squad for the forthcoming matches against South Korea and Japan and, yet again, Neymar was excluded. "O Principe", as he was dubbed when welcomed back at Santos in a reference to the legend Pelé, is still awaiting his debut under Ancelotti, having been absent from the national team for 24 months. He continues to be an injury doubt for the autumn fixtures, 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 final list for the World Cup. "Over a decade and a half, Neymar was Brazil's unquestioned talisman, bearing massive pressure on his own," former AC Milan and Roma legend Cafu remarked. "But nobody wins the World Cup alone. Placing all our hopes on him at the moment is problematic because he has difficulty 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 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 prime rivaled the Argentine maestro and Cristiano Ronaldo. Of his nine goal contributions so far, half 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 Inter de Limeira, all in the Sao Paulo State Championship. As Santos fight relegation in the top division, the number 10 no longer seems to be the difference maker he previously represented. Nevertheless, Ancelotti has insisted that the forward has sufficient months to show he is fit 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, late autumn or March," the Italian told French media. Ancelotti caused local controversy last month by reportedly trying to shield Neymar, claiming the star had been excluded from the team over physical condition issues. But then Neymar himself contradicted this, saying he "was left out for technical reasons; it has nothing to do with my fitness level." In terms of popular view, it undoubtedly worsened the situation for Neymar. "If the player we have pinned our dreams on to deliver the World Cup is excluded for performance issues, obviously issues exist," Cafu said. Is a Ronaldo-style comeback possible for Neymar? Polls from a leading polling institute found that the Brazilian public are divided 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 in-game attitude either. He seems more on edge than usual, having confronted fans multiple times in venues - it happened in three consecutive matches in July. The next month, the striker was left in tears after Santos endured a 6-0 loss at home by Vasco da Gama - the heaviest defeat of his career. When questioned by a reporter about his physical state in a post-match interview, he also lost his patience: "Again with this, mate? I've responded to this countless times already." The identical inquiry has been posed to his father and agent Neymar Sr as well. "Neymar's plan was to remain for a limited period at Santos. For what? To recover. If Neymar managed to play, amen," he previously explained, causing displeasure among followers. There's continuing belief, however, that Neymar's peak years haven't ended and that he will be able to revive his career the same way forward Ronaldo "Phenomenon" did in the 2002 World Cup to surmount criticism and injuries to lead Brazil to the championship trophy. The former Real Madrid, Barcelona and Inter Milan legend sees parallels. "He's a essential player for Brazil - there's nobody like Neymar," Ronaldo said during a recent appearance with the forward in the Brazilian city. "It's an overstatement from a minority who believe he's ignoring his fitness rehabilitation. Anyone who have been in football knows perfectly how difficult it is to come back from an injury and regain form and self-belief. He's progressing well." The Santos star has a few decisive months ahead to show that he's not the prince who relinquished his status.