🔗 Share this article The Brazilian Unquestioned Star? Neymar's World Cup Countdown Challenge While Ousmane Dembele was crowned the 2025 Ballon d'Or in the autumn months, Neymar was receiving treatment for his third injury of the year - while participating in an virtual card tournament. The 33-year-old Brazilian ace ultimately finished as second place, securing around seventy-three thousand pounds 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 consistently dreamed to win. Since coming back to his boyhood club Santos in the new year, the experienced attacker has fallen short of expectations, attracting more attention for comparable situations than for his on-field performances. His return home after a dozen campaigns away was intended as a chance for him to regain his form and, most importantly, rekindle a passion for the game that seemed lost after frustrating spells with PSG and the Saudi club. Conversely, it has been largely underwhelming for all parties involved. This reflects the situation that the main question being asked right now in Brazil is whether Neymar will be part of the 2026 World Cup. He's facing a deadline. "Even the stars have to demonstrate that they are ready. 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 Korea Republic and the Asian nation and, yet again, Neymar was not in it. "O Principe", 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 two years. He also remains an injury doubt for the November games, which, in the worst scenario, will leave him with only two 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 unquestioned talisman, carrying massive pressure on his own," Brazilian icon Cafu remarked. "But no one wins the World Cup alone. Placing all our hopes on him at the moment is challenging because he has difficulty to even play three games in a row." 'Technical exclusion raises serious questions about Neymar' Not only has Neymar had various physical concerns since his homecoming - he's been absent for nearly half of Santos' matches this campaign - but, when he was able to play, he was a different to the player who during his peak competed with the Argentine maestro and the Portuguese icon. Of his several attacking returns so far, five have come against teams from lower tiers than 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 top division, the number 10 no longer seems to be the difference maker 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 objective must be to be ready in June. It isn't crucial if he's in the squad in October, late autumn or spring," the Italian told L'Equipe newspaper. Ancelotti caused local discussion last month by allegedly attempting to shield Neymar, suggesting the star had been excluded from the team over fitness concerns. But then Neymar himself disputed it, saying he "was left out for technical reasons; it has no connection to my physical condition." In terms of fan opinion, it undoubtedly worsened the situation for Neymar. "If the player we have invested our faith in to deliver the World Cup is left out for performance issues, evidently something isn't right," Cafu commented. Will Neymar be capable of emulating Ronaldo in 2002? Research from Datafolha found that the Brazilian public are split over whether Neymar should be included for his fourth World Cup. With his record tally, Neymar is Brazil's historical leading marksman, but he hasn't improved his situation much with his in-game attitude either. He seems more on edge than normal, having exchanged words with fans repeatedly in stadiums - it occurred in successive games in July. The next month, the striker was left in tears after Santos suffered a 6-0 home defeat by Vasco da Gama - the worst result of his career. When asked by a reporter about his fitness condition in a post-match interview, he also lost his patience: "This topic again, mate? I've responded to this repeatedly 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 regain fitness. If Neymar managed to play, so be it," he earlier stated, causing anger among fans. There's remaining optimism, however, that Neymar's prime period remain possible and that he will be able to resurrect his form the same way forward Ronaldo "Phenomenon" did in 2002 to surmount doubt and injuries to lead Brazil to the championship trophy. The Brazilian great notes comparisons. "He's a essential player for Brazil - there's no one else like Neymar," Ronaldo said during a recent appearance with the forward in the Brazilian city. "It's an overstatement from a small group who believe he's disregarding his fitness rehabilitation. Anyone who have been in football knows perfectly how hard it is to recover from an injury and restore rhythm and confidence. He's moving forward." The Brazilian forward has a important timeframe ahead to demonstrate that he's not the prince who relinquished his status.