🔗 Share this article The Brazilian Unquestioned Superstar? Neymar's World Cup Race Against Time As the French winger claimed the 2025 Ballon d'Or in late September, Neymar was undergoing therapy for his latest physical setback of the year - simultaneously participating in an online poker tournament. The 33-year-old football star eventually placed as runner-up, collecting around £73,800 in tournament winnings. It was limited solace on a day when he had to observe the player who once replaced him at Barcelona lift the award he had long hoped to win. After coming back to his youth team Santos in the new year, the experienced attacker has fallen short of expectations, attracting more attention for similar incidents than for his football. His return home after 12 seasons away was meant to be a chance for him to rediscover his best and, most importantly, rekindle a passion for the game that seemed diminished after frustrating spells with PSG and Al Hilal. Instead, it has been generally unsatisfactory for all parties involved. This reflects the situation that the primary concern being asked right now in Brazil is whether Neymar will participate in the upcoming global tournament. He's running out of time. "All players have to demonstrate that they are ready. The clock is ticking [for him]," Brazilian legend Tostao wrote in his regular feature. On midweek, Brazil manager the Italian tactician announced his team selection for the forthcoming matches against Korea Republic and the Asian nation and, yet again, Neymar was excluded. "O Principe", as he was dubbed when received at Santos in a nod toward the legend Pelé, is yet to play under Ancelotti, having been absent from the national team for 24 months. He also remains an fitness concern for the autumn fixtures, which, in the most pessimistic outlook, will leave him with just a pair of exhibition games in spring 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 huge responsibility on his own," former AC Milan and Roma legend Cafu said. "But nobody wins the World Cup single-handedly. Putting all our expectations on him at the present time is difficult because he has difficulty to even play multiple matches in a row." 'Technical exclusion raises serious questions about Neymar' Not only has Neymar had repeated injury problems since his homecoming - he's been absent for 47% of Santos' matches this campaign - but, when he was available for selection, he was a far cry from the player who during his prime 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 three goal involvements versus Inter de Limeira, all in the regional competition. As Santos fight relegation in the Brazilian first tier, the playmaker no longer seems to be the game-changer he once was. Despite that, Ancelotti has maintained that the forward has plenty of time to show he is fit for the World Cup. "His goal must be to be prepared in summer. It isn't crucial if he's in the squad in October, November or spring," the coach told L'Equipe newspaper. Ancelotti caused local discussion last month by reportedly trying to shield Neymar, suggesting the star had been omitted from the team over fitness concerns. But then Neymar himself challenged the claim, saying he "was left out for technical reasons; it has nothing to do with my physical condition." In terms of popular view, it certainly didn't make it any better for Neymar. "If the player we have pinned our dreams on to win the World Cup is left out for technical reasons, clearly there's a problem," Cafu commented. Can Neymar follow Ronaldo's 2002 example? Studies 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 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 successive games in July. The following month, the striker was left in tears after Santos suffered a six-goal home defeat by Vasco da Gama - the heaviest defeat of his career. When questioned by a journalist about his physical state in a post-match interview, he became frustrated: "This topic again, mate? I've answered this countless times already." The same kind of question has been posed to his parent representative Neymar Sr as well. "Neymar's strategy was to remain for five months at Santos. To what end? To regain fitness. If Neymar managed to play, amen," he previously explained, causing anger among supporters. There's continuing belief, however, that Neymar's peak years remain possible and that he will be able to revive his career the same way forward Ronaldo "Phenomenon" did in the 2002 World Cup to overcome doubt and physical setbacks to guide Brazil to the World Cup title. The Brazilian great sees parallels. "He's a crucial player for Brazil - there's nobody like Neymar," Ronaldo said 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. Those who have been in football recognize fully how challenging it is to come back from an injury and regain form and self-belief. He's progressing well." The Brazilian forward has a important timeframe ahead to show that he's not the prince who relinquished his status.