Brazil's Unquestioned Superstar? Neymar Jr's Global Tournament Countdown Challenge
As Ousmane Dembele received the prestigious football award in the autumn months, Neymar was undergoing therapy for his third injury of the year - while participating in an virtual card tournament.
The veteran football star eventually placed as runner-up, securing around £73,800 in prize money.
It was some consolation on a day when he had to observe the player who previously succeeded him at Barcelona receive 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 comparable situations than for his football.
His return home after 12 seasons away was intended as a chance for him to regain his form and, most importantly, restore a passion for the game that seemed lost after frustrating spells with Paris St-Germain and Al Hilal.
Conversely, it has been largely underwhelming for all parties involved.
Such is the situation that the primary concern being asked right now in Brazil is if Neymar will participate in the upcoming global tournament.
He's running out of time.
"Even the stars have to prove that they are prepared. The deadline approaches [for him]," Brazilian legend Tostao commented in his newspaper column.
On midweek, Brazil manager the Italian tactician disclosed his team selection for the forthcoming matches against South Korea and the Asian nation and, once again, Neymar was excluded.
"The Prince", as he was dubbed when welcomed back at Santos in a reference to the legend Pelé, is yet to play under Ancelotti, having been absent from the national team for two years.
He also remains an fitness concern for the November games, which, in the most pessimistic outlook, will leave him with just a pair of friendly matches in March 2026 to demonstrate his worth to Ancelotti before the revealing of the definitive squad for the World Cup.
"For 15 years, Neymar was Brazil's clear standout, bearing huge responsibility on his own," former AC Milan and Roma legend Cafu remarked.
"But nobody wins the World Cup alone. Putting all our hopes on him at the moment is challenging because he struggles to even play multiple matches in a row."
'Technical exclusion raises serious questions about Neymar'
Not just has Neymar had various physical concerns since his homecoming - he's missed nearly half of Santos' matches this campaign - but, when he was available for selection, he was a distant from the player who during his zenith dared to challenge Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Of his several attacking returns so far, half have come against teams from lower tiers than Brazil's first division - a scoring contribution against Agua Santa, followed by a goal and two assists versus another lower-division opponent, all in the Sao Paulo State Championship.
As Santos battle against demotion in the Brazilian first tier, the playmaker no longer seems to be the game-changer he previously represented.
Despite that, Ancelotti has asserted that the forward has sufficient months to show he is fit for the World Cup.
"His objective must be to be prepared in summer. It doesn't matter if he's in the squad in autumn, November or March," the Italian told French media.
Ancelotti caused 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 public perception, it definitely didn't help for Neymar.
"If the player we have invested our faith in to win the World Cup is left out for performance issues, obviously there's a problem," Cafu commented.
Will Neymar be capable of emulating Ronaldo in 2002?
Polls from Datafolha found that Brazilians are split over whether Neymar should be called up 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 conduct during matches either.
He seems greater frustration than normal, having confronted fans repeatedly in stadiums - it occurred in successive games in July.
The next month, the striker was emotional after Santos suffered a 6-0 loss at home by Vasco da Gama - the biggest loss of his career.
When questioned by a reporter about his fitness condition in a game aftermath discussion, he showed irritation: "Again with this, friend? I've answered this 500 times already."
The similar query has been posed to his parent representative Neymar Sr as well.
"Neymar's strategy was to spend a limited period at Santos. To what end? To regain fitness. If Neymar managed to play, amen," he previously explained, causing outrage among followers.
There's continuing belief, however, that Neymar's prime period haven't ended and that he will be able to revive his career the same way striker Ronaldo "Phenomenon" did in 2002 to overcome doubt and physical setbacks to lead Brazil to the World Cup title.
The former Real Madrid, Barcelona and Inter Milan legend sees similarities.
"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 minority who believe he's ignoring his physical recovery.
Anyone who have been in football understand completely how hard it is to come back from an injury and regain rhythm and confidence. He's moving forward."
The Brazilian forward has a few decisive months ahead to show that he's not the heir who relinquished his status.
