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“I’m so happy to see you happy. Living a dream. It’s Brazil,” wrote Vinícius Júnior on Instagram after Brazil’s 3-0 win against Scotland. In the accompanying photograph he was holding his arms open – in the style of his Real Madrid teammate Jude Bellingham. When Bellingham pulled out that pose after scoring for England at Euro 2024, he famously shouted: “Who else?” When Vinícius found the net it felt more like he was saying: “I’ve arrived.”
It took a while. Vinícius won his first cap in a 1-0 friendly defeat to Peru in 2019 and was mostly on the bench when Brazil hosted the Copa América in 2021. He didn’t score his first international goal until his 19th appearance – a 4-0 thrashing of Chile in a World Cup qualifier in 2022. By the time the World Cup kicked off in Qatar later that year, he had added clinical finishing to his speed and there were greater expectations.
Vinícius went to the tournament as a Champions League winner, having scored the only goal in the final when Real Madrid beat Liverpool at the Stade de France. Given that billing, his impact at the tournament – one goal (his second in 28 caps) and two assists as Brazil were beaten by Croatia on penalties in the quarter-finals – was below par. But the Brazilian public did not expect him to be the main character. That role was still held by Neymar.
When Neymar was injured in a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay in October 2023, the weight of a demanding and always expectant nation fell on Vinícius’s shoulders, and also those of Rodrygo and Raphinha to a lesser extent. He went into the Copa América in 2024 having scored in another victorious Champions League final, but he failed to hit the same heights at the tournament. He was suspended when Brazil lost to Uruguay in the quarter-finals on penalties.
Vinícius is not the only Brazil forward who had frustrated his countrymen. Raphinha became a star at Barcelona under Hansi Flick, winning titles and challenging for the Ballon d’Or. An adopted Catalan who is loved at Camp Nou for his grit and respect for the badge, he continues to be ostracised in Brazil. There was a time when Argentina fans thought Lionel Messi cared more for his club than country and that perception now dogs Raphinha in Brazil.
He has not helped himself. Raphinha claimed that Brazil would “thrash Argentina, on and off the pitch” in their World Cup qualifier last year, so he was widely mocked when they lost 4-1. The ridicule continued when he talked about footballers having to give up holidays to play in tournaments. And he delivered another PR disaster a few days before the World Cup, saying he had nothing to prove to people in Brazil.
“I’ve delivered a lot for the national team,” he told reporters. “As far as possible, especially in this cycle, I managed to deliver good football. The affection of the Brazilian fans is really different from the people abroad who follow me daily. If I have to prove myself, it’s for me, for my parents, my children, my wife. I understand there are people who don’t like my football. It’s OK. There will be days that I won’t deliver, but I always try to do my best. I left Brazil very young, so it’s normal for people to be suspicious. It’s OK.”
The tournament has not gone his way so far. He picked up a hamstring injury in Brazil’s opener and has been replaced by Rayan, who was impressive against Scotland and is expected to keep his place for the last-32 match against Japan. It could be the first time Carlo Ancelotti sticks with the same XI in his 16 matches in charge. Raphinha is likely to be back in time for the quarter-finals, where Brazil may face England. Whether he should win back his place from Rayan will be a major talking point. The only way Raphinha can rip up the international underachiever tag is by doing it at a big tournament.
As for Vinícius, he has ripped his into pieces and danced on top of it. He saved Brazil with a moment of brilliance against Morocco, scoring the kind of goal he has been firing in at the Bernabéu for years. Brazil were criticised after that display but they have begun to enjoy themselves since, beating Haiti and Scotland 3-0 to finish top of the group.
Vinícius now looks happy in yellow and green; he was voted player of the match for all three group games. After scoring and setting up a goal against Haiti, he hit a double against Scotland. But for a VAR intervention, he would have become the first Brazilian to score a hat-trick at a World Cup since Pelé in 1958.
The 25-year-old is already in esteemed company, having joined Pelé, Ronaldo, Romário, Rivaldo and Garrincha by scoring in all three group matches for Brazil. He had nine goals in 49 caps before the tournament; now he can add four in his last three. Walter Casagrande, the former Brazil player who is now a star pundit, says he is eating from the same table as Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé, competing as he is for the tournament’s Golden Boot and Golden Ball.
The sports writer Paulo Vinicius Coelho says he is Brazil’s “hero of the resistance” and has questioned why fans still “chant Neymar and not Vinícius Júnior”. When Neymar came off the bench in Miami he was celebrated with more vigour and volume than any of Vini’s goals. Perhaps the focus on Neymar is working in Vinícius’s favour. He can just get on with it while his manager deals with questions about Neymar and also teen sensation Endrick.
In any event, it was always going to work out with Ancelotti. Football’s great man-manager and cool uncle took Vinícius to dizzying heights in Madrid, whereas other tacticians – such as Xabi Alonso – have fallen flat. Ancelotti employs a perfect mix of strictness, fun and protection. The same man who once publicly scolded Rodrygo for not shaking his hand after he had been substituted also makes silly bets with his players. He successfully tricked Fede Valverde into shooting more from outside, warning him: “If you don’t score 10 goals, I’ll tear up my coaching licence and retire.” Ancelotti has made a similar bet with Vinícius to encourage him to score more headers. Ancelotti has admitted that Vinícius “doesn’t do much work without the ball” but he is pressing at this tournament and it is yielding goals.
Vinícius clearly admires his manager, saying: “He is one of the best coaches in the world. He understands players very well and adapts to them. He came here and understood how we should play. It has worked. We are going to evolve a lot during the competition. He’s going to grow the team during the tournament.” He has certainly helped Vinícius grow, for Brazil and Real Madrid.
When we interviewed Vinícius six years ago, he said: “I hope I can make every Brazilian cheer for me one day.” With each big performance at this World Cup, he gets closer.
This is an article by Tom Sanderson
