The Real Madrid star missed a penalty kick when Brazil drew 1-1 with Venezuela in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers on November 14. Before that, Vinicius also missed an opportunity when kicking the ball. This continued his string of disappointments in the Brazilian national team. With this draw, Brazil is currently ranked 3rd with 17 points after 11 matches, playing 1 more match than their opponent Uruguay in the next match.
When coach Dorival Junior called up the squad for November’s matches against Venezuela and Uruguay, he could not avoid being dragged into the Ballon d’Or debate. He called Vinícius’s second place “a matter of unfairness”. “If there is a decisive, dangerous player whose talent is known to the whole world”, he continued “it is him. Perhaps the greatest award is that Vinícius has been honored with the recognition and respect “The majority of Brazilians know that an injustice has taken place.”
But the last time Vinícius played for Brazil, most of his countrymen must have been less than pleased with him. The team suffered a disastrous defeat against Paraguay, and he did not leave much of an impression. Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro is counting on right-back Juan Caceres and midfielder Mathías Villasanti to stop Vini. Although Vini supported the Brazilian players, there was no time to be active. It was a disappointing evening, all overworked effort and little end product.
Taking a free kick in the Venezuela match, Vinicius has not been able to improve his scoring record within 35 rounds. The last time he scored was when he scored two goals in a 4-1 victory over Paraguay in the Copa America group stage on June 28. There have been calls from TV pundits to replace Vinícius, demonstrating widespread loss of visibility.
