Brazil's Unquestioned Superstar? Neymar's Global Tournament Race Against Time
As the French winger claimed the prestigious football award in late September, Neymar was receiving treatment for his latest physical setback of the year - simultaneously participating in an online poker tournament.
The 33-year-old football star eventually placed as second place, collecting around £73,800 in prize money.
It was partial comfort on a day when he had to witness the player who once replaced him at Barcelona claim the award he had consistently dreamed to win.
After coming back to his boyhood club Santos in January, the experienced attacker has failed to live up to expectations, drawing more attention for comparable situations than for his football.
His homecoming after a dozen campaigns away was intended as a chance for him to return to peak condition and, crucially, rekindle a passion for the game that seemed diminished after frustrating spells with Paris St-Germain and Al Hilal.
Instead, it has been largely underwhelming for each stakeholder.
Such is the situation that the key issue being asked right now in Brazil is if Neymar will be part of the upcoming global tournament.
He's facing a deadline.
"Even the stars have to demonstrate that they are fit. The deadline approaches [for him]," Brazilian legend Tostao wrote in his newspaper column.
On midweek, Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti revealed his team selection for the forthcoming matches against South Korea and the Asian nation and, yet again, Neymar was not in it.
"The Prince", as he was nicknamed when welcomed back at Santos in a reference to the king Pele, is yet to play under Ancelotti, having been absent from the Selecao for 24 months.
He also remains an fitness concern 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 revealing of the definitive squad for the World Cup.
"Over a decade and a half, Neymar was Brazil's unquestioned talisman, shouldering massive pressure on his own," Brazilian icon Cafu stated.
"But no one wins the World Cup alone. Putting all our expectations on him at the present time is challenging because he has difficulty to even play multiple matches in a row."
'Technical exclusion raises serious questions about Neymar'
Not only has Neymar had multiple fitness issues since his return to Brazil - he's missed nearly half of Santos' matches this season - but, when he was available for selection, he was a different to the player who during his prime rivaled Lionel Messi and the Portuguese icon.
Of his nine goal contributions so far, half have come against teams from lower tiers than Brazil's top flight - a scoring contribution against a lower-league side, followed by a goal and two assists versus Inter de Limeira, all in the Sao Paulo State Championship.
As Santos fight relegation in the top division, the playmaker no longer seems to be the decisive factor he previously represented.
Despite that, Ancelotti has maintained that the forward has ample opportunity to show he is ready 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 created local debate last month by reportedly trying to shield Neymar, suggesting the star had been omitted from the team over fitness concerns.
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 fan opinion, it certainly didn't make it any better for Neymar.
"If the player we have pinned our dreams on to deliver the World Cup is left out for performance issues, obviously issues exist," Cafu observed.
Can Neymar follow Ronaldo's 2002 example?
Research from Datafolha found that the Brazilian public are divided over whether Neymar should be called up for his fourth World Cup.
With his record tally, Neymar is Brazil's all-time top scorer, but he hasn't improved his situation much with his conduct during matches either.
He seems more on edge than normal, having exchanged words with fans repeatedly in venues - it occurred in successive games in July.
The next month, the forward was reduced to crying after Santos suffered a 6-0 loss at home by Vasco da Gama - the worst result of his professional life.
When asked by a reporter about his physical state in a game aftermath discussion, he also lost his patience: "This topic again, friend? I've answered this 500 times already."
The similar query has been directed at his parent representative Neymar Sr as well.
"Neymar's plan was to spend a limited period at Santos. To what end? To regain fitness. If Neymar was able to feature, amen," he previously explained, causing anger among fans.
There's still a slight hope, however, that Neymar's best days 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 overcome criticism and injuries to lead Brazil to the World Cup title.
The former Real Madrid, Barcelona and Inter Milan legend sees parallels.
"He's a essential player for Brazil - there's no one else like Neymar," Ronaldo stated during a recent appearance with the forward in the Brazilian city.
"It's an overstatement from a small group who believe he's neglecting his physical recovery.
Anyone who have been in football knows perfectly how difficult it is to come back from an setback and regain rhythm and confidence. He's moving forward."
The Santos star has a few decisive months ahead to prove that he's not the prince who stepped away from greatness.