With four goals in three matches played in this 2026 World Cup, Vinicius Junior already surpasses the mark of Brazilian top scorers in the last two World Cups.
Furthermore, the Brazilian equaled Jairzinho (1970), Romário (1994), Ronaldo and Rivaldo (2002), with goals in the first three games (against Morocco, Haiti and Scotland).
In 2022, in Qatar, the main name in the team’s artillery was Richarlison, with three goals — on that occasion, Neymar scored two and Vinicius himself scored his first goal in the competition.
Four years earlier, in Russia, the artillery was even worse. Philippe Coutinho and Neymar tied with two goals each.
On both occasions, Brazil played five matches and was eliminated in the quarterfinals: in 2018, against Belgium, and in 2022, against Croatia.
You have to go back to the previous World Cup, in 2014, on Brazilian soil, to find a player from the team with the same brand as Vini. And it was Neymar, who only played five matches, was injured and did not participate in the fateful semi-final, with a 7-1 defeat to Germany.
In the South African Cup in 2010, Luís Fabiano scored 3 before being eliminated against the Netherlands, once again in the quarter-finals.
Only in the 2002 World Cup, when the team won their fifth in South Korea and Japan, did any Brazilian score more than four goals. At the time, Ronaldo Fenômeno was the top scorer in the entire competition, with eight goals — and Rivaldo scored five, sharing second place with German Miroslav Klose.
In the following World Cup, in 2006, Ronaldo scored 3 more goals, reaching 15 in history.
