Carlo Ancelotti believes that Vinicius Júnior has reached a new technical and tactical level as he approaches the goal. In an exclusive interview with Placar, the Seleção coach revealed that he had a decisive conversation with the Brazilian striker about his way of playing for the team.
the coach explained that he convinced the number 7 to play more centrally, and not just open on the left wing, a role he used to play since his youth days.
“I see Vini as a winger or a centralized striker,” said the Italian. “I believe that a centralized striker like him has the quality to score a lot of goals. I’ve been talking to him: ‘when you’re on the wing, you need to dribble three, four times and touch the ball several times. Centrally, all it takes is one movement at the right time to score’. He understands and likes that position. He’s very dangerous, attacking the area with space”, explained Ancelotti.
The coach is considered by the player himself to be one of the main responsible for the transformation in his playing style. Since arriving at Real Madrid, Vinicius has evolved from being a fast and inconsistent winger to consolidate himself as a technical and offensive protagonist.
In 2023, the attacker publicly acknowledged this change. “He convinced me to change position, I didn’t want to. He taught me how to play inside too. In one year, I evolved more than in any previous year”, said the player, who ended that season with 24 goals and nine assists in 39 matches, in addition to second place in the Ballon d’Or and The Best award from FIFA.
The Italian coach’s work involved more than a simple positioning adjustment. Ancelotti began to demand that the Brazilian move without the ball and explore spaces inside, without relying so much on long plays down the flank. The strategy transformed Real Madrid offensively.
In the first three seasons under the coach’s command, he accumulated 90 goals and 59 assists, totaling 149 direct goal contributions. Before Ancelotti, the player had never surpassed the ten goal mark in a single season.
This change is also reflected in the selection. After a discreet debut with the Italian coach, in the goalless draw with Ecuador, Vini Jr. began to act more centrally. In the following game, against Paraguay, he scored the only goal of the match. In the 5-0 defeat of South Korea, he repeated the role of mobile striker, alternating between the center and the left side, while Rodrygo and Estêvão completed the attacking trio.
For , this freedom is part of the player’s maturity. “I don’t want him to be a fixed reference, but someone who attacks space. That’s where he becomes lethal”, concluded the coach.
