The Brazilian Undisputed Star? Neymar's Global Tournament Countdown Challenge
As Ousmane Dembele was crowned the prestigious football award in late September, Neymar was receiving treatment for his third injury of the year - while engaging in an online poker tournament.
The veteran Brazilian ace ultimately finished as runner-up, collecting around £73,800 in tournament winnings.
It was some consolation on a day when he had to observe the player who once replaced him at Barcelona receive the award he had long hoped to win.
Since coming back to his boyhood club Santos in January, the 33-year-old forward has fallen short of expectations, drawing more attention for comparable situations than for his football.
His return home after 12 seasons away was meant to be a chance for him to rediscover his best and, crucially, restore a love of football that seemed gone after frustrating spells with Paris St-Germain and the Saudi club.
Conversely, it has been generally unsatisfactory for all parties involved.
Such is the situation that the primary concern being asked right now in Brazil is whether Neymar will make it to the 2026 World Cup.
He's running out of time.
"Even the stars have to prove that they are fit. The deadline approaches [for him]," 1970 World Cup-winner Tostao wrote in his newspaper column.
On midweek, Brazil manager the Italian tactician revealed his squad for the upcoming games against South Korea and the Asian nation and, yet again, Neymar was excluded.
"The Prince", as he was nicknamed when received at Santos in a reference to the legend Pelé, is yet to play under Ancelotti, having been missing from the Selecao for two years.
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 March 2026 to demonstrate his worth to Ancelotti before the revealing of the final list for the World Cup.
"Over a decade and a half, Neymar was Brazil's undisputed star, bearing 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 problematic because he has difficulty to even play three games in a row."
'If Neymar is left out for technical reasons, something isn't right'
Not just has Neymar had repeated injury problems since his return to Brazil - he's been absent for nearly half of Santos' matches this season - but, when he was available for selection, he was a far cry from the player who during his prime dared to challenge Lionel Messi and the Portuguese icon.
Of his several attacking returns so far, five have come against teams from divisions below Brazil's top flight - a scoring contribution against Agua Santa, followed by a three goal involvements versus another lower-division opponent, all in the Sao Paulo State Championship.
As Santos fight relegation in the Brazilian first tier, the number 10 no longer seems to be the game-changer he once was.
Nevertheless, Ancelotti has asserted that the forward has plenty of time to show he is fit for the World Cup.
"His objective must be to be prepared in summer. It isn't crucial if he's in the squad in October, November or March," the Italian told French media.
Ancelotti created local controversy last month by reportedly trying to shield Neymar, stating the star had been omitted from the team over physical condition issues.
But then Neymar himself contradicted this, saying he "was left out for tactical decisions; it has no connection to 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 performance issues, evidently issues exist," Cafu commented.
Is a Ronaldo-style comeback possible for Neymar?
Polls from a leading polling institute found that Brazilians are split over whether Neymar should be selected 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 in-game attitude either.
He seems more on edge than normal, having confronted fans on several occasions in venues - it occurred in successive games in mid-year.
The next month, the striker was reduced to crying after Santos endured a 6-0 loss at home by their rivals - the heaviest defeat of his career.
When asked by a reporter about his fitness condition in a post-match interview, he became frustrated: "This topic again, friend? I've responded to this 500 times already."
The similar query has been posed to his father and agent Neymar Sr as well.
"Neymar's strategy was to spend five months at Santos. To what end? To regain fitness. If Neymar was able to feature, so be it," he previously explained, causing displeasure among followers.
There's still a slight hope, however, that Neymar's best days aren't over and that he will be able to resurrect his form the same way striker Ronaldo "Fenômeno" did in the 2002 World Cup to surmount criticism and physical setbacks to lead Brazil to the World Cup title.
The Brazilian great sees comparisons.
"He's a essential player for Brazil - there's nobody like Neymar," Ronaldo said during a recent event with the forward in Sao Paulo.
"It's an exaggeration from a minority who believe he's neglecting his fitness rehabilitation.
Anyone who have been in football knows perfectly how challenging it is to come back from an setback and recover rhythm and confidence. He's right on track."
The Santos star has a important timeframe ahead to demonstrate that he's not the heir who stepped away from greatness.
