Striker Vini Jr reached a level of excellence at a crucial moment, being recognized by Neymar as “Brazil’s main player”. With outstanding performances in all three of the Seleção’s games in the World Cup and the position of runner-up in the tournament, accumulating four goals, the number 7 is preparing for the knockout challenges, seeking to solidify his importance with the yellow shirt.
The player’s trajectory at Real Madrid, especially under the guidance of Carlo Ancelotti, offers an indication of his ability to shine in decisive phases of major competitions. Vini Jr has established himself as the most influential athlete in UEFA Champions League knockout matches since his first participation in the 2018/19 season, recording 30 direct goal involvements, distributed between 16 goals and 14 assists.
Vini Jr stands out in numbers in the Champions League knockout stages since 2018
Since the 2018/19 season, Vinicius Junior has led the list of players with the most direct participation in goals in the knockout stages of the Champions League, surpassing big names in world football. His numbers show remarkable consistency in moments of high pressure:
- Vini Jr – 30 appearances (16 goals + 14 assists)
- Lewandowski – 24 appearances (17 goals + 7 assists)
- Kylian Mbappé – 24 appearances (20 goals + 4 assists)
- De Bruyne – 22 appearances (11 goals + 11 assists)
- Haaland – 20 appearances (17 goals + 3 assists)
Carlo Ancelotti’s influence on Vinicius Junior’s career
Of the 30 goal appearances that Vinicius Junior recorded in the Champions League knockout stages, a total of 20 occurred in the period between 2021 and 2025, under the management of Carlo Ancelotti. During this cycle, the Brazilian striker was fundamental, scoring in two tournament finals, in 2022 and 2024, and etching his name in Real Madrid’s history with decisive goals in European titles.
Before the arrival of the renowned Italian coach at the Spanish club, Vinicius’ performance exhibited a certain inconsistency. Between 2018 and 2021, the player alternated between high and low moments, he did not establish himself as an absolute starter, he played multiple roles and his goals and assists records were modest. Ancelotti’s arrival, however, brought him a run of games and established him as an undisputed protagonist.
The same dynamic of evolution can be observed in his journey with the Brazilian team. From his debut in 2019 to the moments leading up to the current World Cup, Vini Jr faced criticism and moments of fluctuation with the Brazil shirt. Under the command of Tite, Ramon Menezes, Fernando Diniz and Dorival Júnior, he participated in 41 games, registering 7 goals and 5 assists, which results in an average of 0.29 direct goal participation per match. Under Ancelotti’s leadership, these numbers improved significantly, with 6 goals and 4 assists in just 11 games, raising his average to 0.90 direct participation per game.
Ancelotti expressed his satisfaction with Vinicius’ brilliance, saying: “It’s satisfying because I had no doubt about how he could reach this World Cup. For him it’s an honor to play with the Seleção. He’s doing very well, he also scored a header, which is very rare for him. I’m not the one who’s going to discover Vini. For me, Vini is a top. He’s one of the best in the world obviously.”
Vinicius reached the mark of four goals in this World Cup, equaling Haaland and Mbappé, and being just one goal behind Lionel Messi, the competition’s current top scorer. His record in World Cups includes eight goal appearances in seven games for the Brazilian team, totaling five goals and three assists in World Cups.
Brazil secured its place in the next phase as leader of Group C and awaits the definition of its opponent, which will be the Netherlands, Japan or Sweden. The team’s next match will be on Monday (29), at 2pm (Brasília time), in Houston, for the second phase of the tournament.