Brazil's Undisputed Star? Neymar Jr's World Cup Countdown Challenge
As the French winger received the prestigious football award in the autumn months, Neymar was receiving treatment for his latest physical setback of the year - simultaneously taking part in an online poker tournament.
The veteran football star ultimately finished as second place, collecting around £73,800 in prize money.
It was limited solace on a day when he had to observe the player who previously succeeded him at Barcelona claim the award he had consistently dreamed to win.
After coming back to his youth team Santos in the new year, the 33-year-old forward has failed to live up to expectations, attracting more attention for similar incidents than for his on-field performances.
His return home after a dozen campaigns away was meant to be a chance for him to rediscover his best and, most importantly, restore a love of football that seemed diminished after frustrating spells with Paris St-Germain and Al Hilal.
Conversely, it has been widely disappointing for each stakeholder.
Such is the situation that the main question 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 demonstrate that they are ready. The clock is ticking [for him]," 1970 World Cup-winner Tostao commented in his newspaper column.
On midweek, Brazil head coach the Italian tactician announced his team selection for the upcoming games against Korea Republic and Japan and, yet again, Neymar was excluded.
"The Prince", as he was dubbed when welcomed back at Santos in a reference to the king Pele, is still awaiting his debut under Ancelotti, having been missing from the Selecao for 24 months.
He continues to be an fitness concern for the November games, which, in the worst scenario, will leave him with just a pair of friendly matches in March 2026 to demonstrate his worth to Ancelotti before the revealing of the final list for the World Cup.
"For 15 years, Neymar was Brazil's unquestioned talisman, carrying enormous expectations on his own," Brazilian icon Cafu said.
"But no one wins the World Cup alone. Putting all our expectations on him at the moment is difficult because he struggles to even play multiple matches 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 campaign - but, when he was available for selection, he was a far cry from the player who during his peak rivaled 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 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 Brazilian first tier, the playmaker no longer seems to be the difference maker he once was.
Nevertheless, Ancelotti has maintained that the forward has sufficient months to show he is prepared 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 coach told L'Equipe newspaper.
Ancelotti created local discussion last month by allegedly attempting to shield Neymar, suggesting the star had been excluded from the team over fitness concerns.
But then Neymar himself challenged the claim, saying he "was excluded for tactical decisions; it has no connection to my fitness level."
In terms of fan opinion, it undoubtedly worsened the situation for Neymar.
"If the player we have pinned our dreams on to deliver the World Cup is excluded for performance issues, clearly something isn't right," Cafu observed.
Is a Ronaldo-style comeback possible for Neymar?
Studies from Datafolha found that Brazilians are divided over whether Neymar should be selected for his fourth World Cup.
With his 79 goals, Neymar is Brazil's historical leading marksman, but he hasn't improved his situation much with his in-game attitude either.
He seems more on edge than usual, having argued with fans on several occasions in venues - it happened in successive games in July.
The following month, the striker was emotional after Santos endured a 6-0 loss at home by Vasco da Gama - the worst result of his professional life.
When asked by a journalist about his physical state in a post-match interview, he also lost his patience: "This topic again, friend? I've responded to this repeatedly already."
The similar query has been directed at his parent representative Neymar Sr as well.
"Neymar's intention was to spend a limited period at Santos. To what end? To regain fitness. If Neymar was able to feature, amen," he earlier stated, causing outrage among followers.
There's still a slight hope, however, that Neymar's prime period remain possible and that he will be able to resurrect his form the same way striker Ronaldo "Phenomenon" did in 2002 to overcome skepticism and injuries to guide Brazil to the World Cup title.
The Brazilian great observes similarities.
"He's a crucial player for Brazil - there's nobody like Neymar," Ronaldo stated during a recent event with the forward in the Brazilian city.
"It's an overstatement from a minority who believe he's ignoring his physical recovery.
Those who have been in football knows perfectly how hard it is to return from an injury and recover form and self-belief. He's progressing well."
The Santos star has a critical period ahead to demonstrate that he's not the prince who relinquished his status.
