Vini Jr.’s rise in the FIFA rankings places him among the four best strikers; Messi maintains lead
Brazilian striker Vini Jr. achieved a significant advance in the FIFA Power Ranking for the 2026 World Cup, climbing positions after his outstanding performance. The two goals scored in Brazil’s 3-0 victory against Scotland were crucial for the player, who started the tournament in ninth place among strikers. Currently, the number 7 occupies fourth position, surpassing other big names in world football and behind only Lionel Messi, Deniz Undav and Kylian Mbappé.
The ranking tool, developed specifically for this edition of the World Cup, is based on objective statistics to analyze the individual performance of athletes. She evaluates players on three main aspects: attack, creativity and defense. The data is updated after each game and considers impactful actions, offensive participation, the ability to build plays and the defensive contribution of each athlete.
So far, Vini Jr. has accumulated a rating of 8.01, the result of his three matches played in the championship. The highest score, 8.45, belongs to Lionel Messi, who is also the World Cup’s top scorer. Next comes German Deniz Undav with 8.42, and Kylian Mbappé, from France, who completes the podium with 8.18. Another Brazilian athlete who stands out is Matheus Cunha, who scored three goals and is in 12th place among attackers.
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List of the main players in the FIFA attacking rankings
- Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 8.45
- Deniz Undav (Germany) – 8.42
- Kylian Mbappé (France) – 8.18
- Vini Jr. (Brazil) – 8.01
- Johan Manzambi (Switzerland) – 7.69
Performance of other Brazilian athletes in the world tournament
In addition to Vini Jr., the Brazilian team featured other players in different ranking categories. Casemiro, for example, ranks as the sixth best defender in the World Cup, while Lucas Paquetá is in 30th place on the list of most creative players. Vini Jr. also appears in this category, occupying 67th place.
Bruno Guimarães, considered the main “waiter” of the World Cup with three assists, still finds himself in more modest positions in the individual rankings. He ranks 98th in creativity and 113th in attack, despite his importance in building plays.
It is important to highlight that the ranking is subject to change, as not all teams completed the third round of the group stage by the morning of this Friday, June 26th. This means that prominent players like Messi, Mbappé and Erling Haaland were still evaluated based on just two games, while Vini Jr. already has three games in the tournament, which could influence the current positions.
