It was to this reporter that Vinicius Junior revered Neymar and confided that he hoped to make all Brazilians root for him. The 2020 speech would be repeated by the player in other interviews since then, but it gains new meaning with his performances in this World Cup.
The number 7 reached four goals in three matches and consolidated himself as the main name of the Brazilian team, classified in the knockout stage at the top of Group C after beating Scotland 3-0, in Miami, this Wednesday (24).
“It wasn’t just against me. Some Brazilian fans have problems with people’s success in other areas of life. They even dislike Neymar, for example. I was very happy when I saw that many Brazilians wanted him and PSG to win the Champions League. I don’t like to think about those bad moments in my career, but I certainly hope to be able to make all Brazilians root for me one day,” he said, recalling episodes of racism and nicknames he received at the beginning of his career.
At 25 years old, Vinicius is experiencing his best World Cup. The striker had already scored in the 1-1 draw with Morocco and participated in the 3-0 rout of Haiti with a goal and two assists for Matheus Cunha.
He reached four goals in three matches and is tied with Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland, behind only Lionel Messi in the competition for top scorer in this World Cup.
The performance also placed him alongside Jairzinho, Romário, Rivaldo and Ronaldo, the only Brazilians to score in the first three games of a World Cup. Everyone finished those editions as world champions.
The campaign contrasts with the image that accompanied him throughout much of his career with the national team.
While consolidating himself as one of Real Madrid’s main players, Vinicius was often criticized for not repeating the performances he had for the Spanish club with the Brazilian shirt.
In the Qatar Cup in 2022, he scored just once and was replaced by Tite in the match against Croatia, which would see Brazil eliminated on penalties. In the following qualifiers and Copa América, he alternated between good moments and criticism.
Carlo Ancelotti’s arrival in the national team accelerated this change. Coach responsible for leading the best phase of Vinicius’ career at Real Madrid, the Italian built Brazil’s offensive system around the striker.
The context of the World Cup also increased this responsibility. Estêvão was left out of the World Cup due to injury. Neymar missed the first two games with a calf problem, after almost three years without playing for the national team. Raphinha, a starter in the first two rounds, suffered a muscle injury against Haiti and still has no return date.
CHILDHOOD IN SÃO GONÇALO
Vinicius still remembers the boy who was making embaixadinhas before he even said ‘hi’. He smiled a lot, especially remembering his childhood in São Gonçalo (RJ), when he played soda bets and flew kites in the street.
He said he broke lights and furniture because he played with the ball indoors on rainy days. He even said he had three stitches in the back of his head because he fell at age 4 while playing.
At the time of the interview, in 2020, Vinicius had only played one game for the Brazilian national team and was hoping to be called up for the Qatar Cup.
“I want to play in the next World Cup, which I hope we win. But there are a lot of good players who can be called up, so I’m focused on improving my numbers, gaining more experience on the field and, of course, I need to be prepared to have the best month of my life, if that happens.”
So far, the 2026 World Cup has been exactly that.
