🔗 Share this article Brazil's Unquestioned Star? Neymar Jr's World Cup Race Against Time As the French winger was crowned the 2025 Ballon d'Or in the autumn months, the Brazilian sensation was receiving treatment for his latest physical setback of the year - while taking part in an virtual card tournament. The veteran football star ultimately finished as runner-up, securing around seventy-three thousand pounds in tournament winnings. It was partial comfort on a day when he had to witness the player who previously succeeded him at Barcelona receive the award he had consistently dreamed to win. Since coming back to his youth team Santos in the new year, the experienced attacker has fallen short of expectations, drawing more attention for comparable situations than for his football. His homecoming after 12 seasons away was meant to be a chance for him to return to peak condition and, crucially, restore a passion for the game that seemed lost after disappointing periods with Paris St-Germain and the Saudi club. Instead, it has been widely disappointing for all parties involved. Such is the situation that the key issue 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 demonstrate that they are fit. The clock is ticking [for him]," Brazilian legend Tostao wrote in his regular feature. On midweek, Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti revealed his team selection for the upcoming games against Korea Republic and the Asian nation and, yet again, Neymar was excluded. "O Principe", as he was dubbed when received at Santos in a nod toward the legend Pelé, is yet to play under Ancelotti, having been absent from the Selecao for 24 months. He continues to be an fitness concern for the November games, which, in the most pessimistic outlook, will leave him with just a pair of friendly matches in spring 2026 to prove himself to Ancelotti before the revealing of the final list for the World Cup. "Over a decade and a half, Neymar was Brazil's clear standout, shouldering huge responsibility on his own," former AC Milan and Roma legend Cafu said. "But nobody wins the World Cup alone. Putting all our hopes on him at the present time is difficult because he finds it hard to even play three games in a row." 'Omission based on skill level signals deeper issues' Not just has Neymar had repeated injury problems 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 the Argentine maestro and the Portuguese icon. Of his nine goal contributions so far, half have come against teams from lower tiers than Brazil's first division - a goal and assist against Agua Santa, followed by a three goal involvements versus Inter de Limeira, all in the regional competition. As Santos battle against demotion in the Brazilian first tier, the playmaker no longer seems to be the difference maker he previously represented. Despite that, Ancelotti has maintained that the forward has sufficient months to show he is fit for the World Cup. "His aim must be to be ready in summer. It doesn't matter if he's in the squad in October, November or spring," the Italian told L'Equipe newspaper. Ancelotti caused local debate last month by reportedly trying to protect Neymar, stating the star had been omitted from the team over fitness concerns. But then Neymar himself disputed it, saying he "was left out for technical reasons; it has nothing to do with my physical condition." In terms of public perception, it undoubtedly worsened the situation for Neymar. "If the player we have placed all our hopes on to win the World Cup is left out for performance issues, obviously issues exist," Cafu said. Is a Ronaldo-style comeback possible for Neymar? Research from a leading polling institute found that the Brazilian public are divided over whether Neymar should be included 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 in-game attitude either. He seems increased agitation than normal, having argued with fans multiple times in stadiums - it happened in three consecutive matches in July. The next month, the forward was reduced to crying after Santos endured a six-goal loss at home by their rivals - the biggest loss of his professional life. When questioned by a reporter about his physical state in a post-match interview, he also lost his patience: "This topic again, friend? I've answered this repeatedly already." The similar query has been posed to his parent representative Neymar Sr as well. "Neymar's strategy was to remain for a limited period at Santos. To what end? To regain fitness. If Neymar managed to play, so be it," he previously explained, causing displeasure among fans. There's still a slight hope, however, that Neymar's prime period haven't ended and that he will be able to return to prominence the same way forward Ronaldo "Fenômeno" did in the 2002 World Cup to surmount doubt and injuries to guide Brazil to the World Cup title. The Brazilian great notes parallels. "He's a crucial player for Brazil - there's no one else like Neymar," Ronaldo stated during a recent appearance with the forward in Sao Paulo. "It's an overstatement from a small group who believe he's ignoring his physical recovery. Anyone who have been in football understand completely how hard it is to return from an injury and regain form and self-belief. He's right on track." The Brazilian forward has a critical period ahead to demonstrate that he's not the heir who abandoned the throne.