MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Coming into this year’s FIFA World Cup, Brazilian soccer sensation Vinícius Júnior faced a persistent line of criticism from pundits and fans alike: the dynamic winger who consistently finds the back of the net for Real Madrid could never replicate that scoring form on soccer’s biggest international stage. On Wednesday night, he delivered a resounding response that left no room for doubt, bagging two goals in Brazil’s dominant 3-0 victory over Scotland to cement his status as one of the tournament’s most dangerous attacking threats.
With his two-goal haul, Vinícius has now notched four goals through the group stage, pulling him into a tie for second place in the Golden Boot race alongside France’s Kylian Mbappé and Norway’s Erling Haaland. Only Argentina’s Lionel Messi sits ahead of him with five tournament goals. For the 24-year-old star, the breakthrough has been a long time coming, rooted in unshakable belief in his own ability.
“Faith that I was going to improve, for the talent that I have … I was sure that at the right moment I would shine again with the Brazilian team shirt,” Vinícius said after the match. “Nothing is better than going back to the World Cup, to the place where I always dreamed of being. To be able to represent my family, to be able to represent a country as important as Brazil, I believe that there is nothing better.”
Wednesday’s finish also etched Vinícius into Brazilian World Cup history. He became just the fifth Brazilian ever to score in all three of his team’s group stage matches, and the first player to achieve the feat since the legendary pair of Ronaldo and Rivaldo did so during Brazil’s 2002 World Cup triumph. For years, Vinícius acknowledged, he struggled to showcase his signature attacking style on the international stage, making this run all the more satisfying.
“There were always times when I couldn’t show my football,” he said. “It brings a certain relief.”
Much of Vinícius’s reinvigoration on the international level has been credited to his familiar coaching dynamic with Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti, who guided the winger at Real Madrid from 2021 to 2025. During that tenure, Ancelotti nurtured Vinícius into a global superstar, collecting two Champions League titles, two La Liga crowns and one Copa del Rey along the way, a run of success that has led Vinícius to call Ancelotti the best coach in world football.
The shift in Vinícius’s scoring output for Brazil since Ancelotti took charge is stark: across 39 appearances under previous managers, he scored just six goals for the national side. In just 13 matches under Ancelotti, he has already found the net seven times.
“I had no question in my mind of how far or well he’d come to this World Cup,” Ancelotti said. “It makes him happy to play for the national team. He’s doing a brilliant job.”
After scoring in Brazil’s second group stage match against Haiti, Vinícius joked that he needed to listen to his coach more often. “For sure when we get to the dressing room, he’ll say he knows a lot about football,” he quipped.
But Vinícius has proven he knows how to finish just as well as his manager knows how to coach, and the star says his best is still yet to come as Brazil advances deeper into the knockout round. “I will also evolve and improve in the competition,” he said. “And the hope only increases between us, between our fans and between our family.”