🔗 Share this article The Brazilian Undisputed Star? Neymar Jr's Global Tournament Race Against Time As Ousmane Dembele claimed the 2025 Ballon d'Or in late September, the Brazilian sensation was undergoing therapy for his third injury of the year - while taking part in an virtual card tournament. The veteran Brazilian ace ultimately finished as runner-up, earning around seventy-three thousand pounds in tournament winnings. It was some consolation on a day when he had to watch the player who once replaced him at Barcelona lift the award he had long hoped to win. After returning to his boyhood club Santos in January, the experienced attacker has fallen short of expectations, attracting more attention for similar incidents than for his on-field performances. His return home after 12 seasons away was meant to be a chance for him to rediscover his best and, most importantly, revive a love of football that seemed lost after frustrating spells with Paris St-Germain and Al Hilal. Instead, it has been widely disappointing for everyone concerned. Such is 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. "Even the stars have to prove that they are ready. The deadline approaches [for him]," 1970 World Cup-winner Tostao stated in his regular feature. On Wednesday, Brazil head coach the Italian tactician announced his team selection for the upcoming games against Korea Republic and Japan and, yet again, Neymar was absent. "The Prince", as he was nicknamed when received at Santos in a nod toward the legend Pelé, is still awaiting his debut under Ancelotti, having been missing from the national team for 24 months. He also remains an injury doubt for the autumn fixtures, which, in the most pessimistic outlook, will leave him with only two friendly matches in spring 2026 to demonstrate his worth 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 no one wins the World Cup single-handedly. Placing all our hopes on him at the present time is challenging because he struggles to even play three games in a row." 'If Neymar is left out for technical reasons, something isn't right' Not only has Neymar had repeated injury problems 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 far cry from the player who during his zenith rivaled Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Of his nine goal contributions so far, half have come against teams from lower tiers than Brazil's top flight - a goal and assist against Agua Santa, followed by a goal and two assists versus Inter de Limeira, all in the regional competition. As Santos fight relegation in the top division, the number 10 no longer seems to be the decisive factor he previously represented. Nevertheless, Ancelotti has insisted that the forward has plenty of time to show he is prepared for the World Cup. "His objective must be to be ready in summer. It doesn't matter if he's in the squad in autumn, November or March," the Italian told L'Equipe newspaper. Ancelotti stirred local debate last month by allegedly attempting to shield Neymar, suggesting the star had been excluded from the team over physical condition issues. But then Neymar himself disputed it, saying he "was excluded for technical reasons; it has nothing to do with my fitness level." In terms of popular view, it certainly didn't make it any better for Neymar. "If the player we have invested our faith in to deliver the World Cup is excluded for technical reasons, clearly something isn't right," Cafu commented. Is a Ronaldo-style comeback possible for Neymar? Studies from Datafolha found that Brazilians are split over whether Neymar should be called up for his next global tournament. With his 79 goals, Neymar is Brazil's historical leading marksman, but he hasn't helped his case much with his behaviour on the pitch either. He seems increased agitation than normal, having exchanged words with fans repeatedly in stadiums - it happened in three consecutive matches in mid-year. The next month, the forward was reduced to crying after Santos endured a six-goal loss at home by Vasco da Gama - the worst result of his professional life. When asked by a reporter about his fitness condition in a post-match interview, he showed irritation: "This topic again, mate? I've answered this 500 times already." The similar query has been directed at his father and agent Neymar Sr as well. "Neymar's strategy was to spend five months at Santos. For what? To regain fitness. If Neymar was able to feature, amen," he earlier stated, causing displeasure among followers. There's remaining optimism, however, that Neymar's peak years aren't over and that he will be able to return to prominence the same way forward Ronaldo "Phenomenon" did in the 2002 World Cup to overcome skepticism and physical setbacks to lead Brazil to the World Cup title. The Brazilian great sees comparisons. "He's a crucial player for Brazil - there's no one else like Neymar," Ronaldo said during a recent event with the forward in Sao Paulo. "It's an overstatement from a minority who believe he's ignoring his physical recovery. Those who have been in football recognize fully how difficult it is to come back from an setback and restore rhythm and confidence. He's moving forward." The Brazilian forward has a critical period ahead to demonstrate that he's not the prince who abandoned the throne.