Vinícius Júnior Can’t Just Win. He Has To Help Brazil Do It With Style.

Let me take you back to March 2017 at the Under-17 South American championship in Rancagua, south of Santiago in Chile. Brazil’s Under-17 team was facing Colombia in the penultimate match of the South American championship as both aimed to qualify for the U-17 World Cup. The teenage squad of the Seleção won convincingly with a 3-0 result (thus eventually winning the tournament and qualification for the aforementioned World Cup) but of all the future stars on the pitch, of all the talent, it was a 16-year-old phenom from Flamengo who had stolen the headlines. Vinícius Júnior scored a brace in that match against Colombia and the first goal was a piece of art as he lobbed the goalkeeper from outside the box with no hesitation. It was just the beginning of the magic we are now so accustomed to. Consequently, he won the awards for top scorer and player of the tournament and a few months later, Real Madrid agreed to sign the young prodigy for nearly €50 million, the second most expensive transfer of a player in the history of Brazilian football (behind only Neymar). He would eventually join Madrid in July 2018 after his 18th birthday. The years have gone by and Vini has won numerous trophies and accolades with the club, including three league titles and two Champions League trophies. But for Brazil, it has been a different story. He only has a runner-up medal at Copa América in 2021 to his name, as he wasn’t part of the winning squad for 2019 due to an ankle ligament injury that forced him to miss the tournament. In 2024, after a strong start in the U.S., he was suspended for the quarterfinal loss to Uruguay and once again, his dream of silverware for Brazil disappeared. At the World Cup in 2022, Vinícius was a starter in all but one of Brazil’s five matches and scored his first World Cup goal as part of the team’s 4-1 victory over South Korea in the Round of 16. But the Seleção eventually lost in the quarterfinal stage to Croatia after a penalty shootout. So the drought continues for the five-time champions. Brazil hasn’t won this esteemed trophy since 2002, when Vinícius was just two years old. And he knows it’s not just about winning. It’s about winning beautifully. The 1970 World Cup victory in Mexico, for example, where Pele – alongside Jairzinho, Gérson, Tostão and Rivellino — won in perfect fashion, as well as painting masterpieces of creativity on the pitch that led to a scintillating 4-1 victory over Italy in the final. Or in 2002, when Ronaldo “O Fenomeno” Nazario, one of my heroes as a teenager, with the likes of Rivaldo, Ronaldinho and Cafu, also won every match, including the final over Germany and earning redemption after losing to France four years earlier. Vini is on a mission to write another page in Brazilian history, after so much disappointment and criticism, including numerous instances of unwarranted and despicable racial abuse and beratement. But he has persevered and danced his way into success and the Round of 16 of the World Cup. And so here we are. Another step toward destiny awaits in New Jersey, a skip and a jump from the site of Pelé’s final match in 1977 when the New York Cosmos faced Santos at the former home of the New York Giants. The question is: will the music keep playing for him after Sunday, and can Brazil finally break the 24-year drought? The Importance of The Ancelotti-Vinícius Relationship There is a sense that, slowly but surely, that Vinícius – under the tutelage of Carlo Ancelotti – is finally finding form and identity. So far, he has been magnificent, with four goals and one assist, but more than that — he is a threat against the opponent every time he heads towards goal. Sunday’s contest against Erling Haaland and Norway will not be a contest where Brazil will look as the outright favorite. It might have the odds in its favor and, historically, it will have an edge. But Norway, at its strongest, is extremely well coached and with the likes of Haaland, Martin Odegaard and Antonio Nusa—it can definitely become a headache on Sunday. I have seen both play at this tournament and they equally offer strengths and weaknesses. The fans also play a massive factor and with Norway, the “Viking Row” has become the 12th man steering the team to strong victories. But here is where the relationship between Vinícius and Ancelotti becomes a factor. The Italian manager knows Vinícius well from his days in Madrid, helping him find his own identity and self-worth in a team full of superstars. He also made him more prominent in a central role and allowed him to see how he can be a threat from out wide and as a more central attacker. In fact, per Opta, he has the most carries into the opponent’s box (18) than anyone else in the tournament and has the most xG of any player (3.87) and attempted the second-most shots on target (10). Numbers aside, this has been about Ancelotti molding a leader and a humble teammate. Someone who will do everything to drive his team to victory. Vinícius knows that a lot rests on his shoulders because he is now a creative centerpiece for Brazil and even with Neymar in the squad, it is Vinícius who must take Brazil to the promised land once again. This has also been a long journey for Vinícius, who has been in the spotlight for more than a decade, and it’s incredible to sometimes remember he is still only 25. But none of this matters to him, because he knows Sunday’s match is the most important of his international career. We will see. All I know is that if Brazil wants to be back on July 19, it needs the very best of Vinícius Júnior.