The Brazilian Undisputed Star? Neymar's Global Tournament Countdown Challenge
While the French winger claimed the prestigious football award in the autumn months, Neymar was receiving treatment for his latest physical setback of the year - while engaging in an virtual card tournament.
The 33-year-old football star eventually placed as second place, securing around £73,800 in prize money.
It was some consolation on a day when he had to watch the player who previously succeeded him at Barcelona receive the award he had long hoped to win.
After returning to his boyhood club Santos in the new year, the experienced attacker has fallen short of expectations, drawing 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 return to peak condition and, most importantly, revive a passion for the game that seemed gone after frustrating spells with Paris St-Germain and the Saudi club.
Instead, it has been largely underwhelming for all parties involved.
This reflects the situation that the main question being asked right now in Brazil is if Neymar will make it to the upcoming global tournament.
He's facing a deadline.
"All players have to prove that they are prepared. The deadline approaches [for him]," 1970 World Cup-winner Tostao stated in his newspaper column.
On Wednesday, Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti revealed his squad for the forthcoming matches against South Korea and Japan and, once again, Neymar was excluded.
"O Principe", as he was nicknamed when welcomed back at Santos in a reference to the king Pele, is still awaiting his debut 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 spring 2026 to prove himself to Ancelotti before the revealing of the final list 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 single-handedly. Putting all our hopes on him at the present time is challenging because he struggles to even play multiple matches in a row."
'Omission based on skill level signals deeper issues'
Not only has Neymar had various physical concerns since his homecoming - he's missed 47% of Santos' matches this season - but, when he was able to play, he was a far cry from the player who during his prime competed with the Argentine maestro 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 three goal involvements 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.
Nevertheless, Ancelotti has maintained 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 isn't crucial if he's in the squad in autumn, November or spring," the coach told L'Equipe newspaper.
Ancelotti stirred local debate last month by reportedly trying to protect Neymar, claiming the star had been omitted from the team over physical condition issues.
But then Neymar himself challenged the claim, saying he "was excluded for tactical decisions; it has no connection to my physical condition."
In terms of public perception, it definitely didn't help for Neymar.
"If the player we have placed all our hopes on to win the World Cup is left out for technical reasons, obviously there's a problem," Cafu commented.
Will Neymar be capable of emulating Ronaldo in 2002?
Polls from a leading polling institute found that the Brazilian public are divided over whether Neymar should be called up for his fourth World Cup.
With his 79 goals, Neymar is Brazil's all-time top scorer, but he hasn't helped his case much with his in-game attitude either.
He seems increased agitation than normal, having confronted fans repeatedly in venues - it happened in three consecutive matches in mid-year.
The next month, the striker was emotional after Santos endured a six-goal home defeat by Vasco da Gama - the heaviest defeat of his professional life.
When questioned by a reporter about his fitness condition in a post-match interview, he also lost his patience: "Again with this, mate? I've answered this countless times already."
The similar query has been directed at his parent representative Neymar Sr as well.
"Neymar's strategy was to remain for five months at Santos. To what end? To regain fitness. If Neymar was able to feature, amen," he previously explained, causing outrage among supporters.
There's still a slight hope, however, that Neymar's peak years remain possible and that he will be able to return to prominence the same way striker Ronaldo "Fenômeno" did in 2002 to overcome doubt and injuries to lead Brazil to the championship trophy.
The Brazilian great sees similarities.
"He's a vital player for Brazil - there's nobody like Neymar," Ronaldo said during a recent event with the forward in the Brazilian city.
"It's an exaggeration from a minority who believe he's ignoring his physical recovery.
Anyone who have been in football knows perfectly how hard it is to come back from an injury and recover form and self-belief. He's right on track."
The Brazilian forward has a few decisive months ahead to demonstrate that he's not the heir who abandoned the throne.
