Vinícius Júnior must show his worth for Brazil at World Cup

Vinícius Júnior has roughly 60 million followers on Instagram but he must now also fulfil the hopes of 200 million Brazilians at the World Cup from Saturday onwards.

Brazil are record champions with five titles but the last one was back in 2002.

The pressure to change this is mostly on the 25-year-old Real Madrid star Vinícius Júnior who electrifies and polarises the football community.

He said he knows he stands “at the forefront” of the Seleção, speaking of a “huge responsibility” which he appreciates.

Brazil start on Saturday against 2022 finalists Morocco, with Scotland and Haiti their other opponents in the group stage.

Besides Vinícius Júnior only a few players are considered world class, such as forward Raphinha of Barcelona or defensive leader Marquinhos of Paris Saint-Germain.

Much will also depend on his long-time coach Carlo Ancelotti, who has been in charge of the national team since last year after previously coaching Real, winning the Champions League twice with his Brazilian star player.

“He is the best coach I have ever had,” Vinícius Júnior said about Ancelotti. “He is one of the greatest in football, if not the greatest.”

Brazil are not rated among the favourites at the tournament after a bumpy qualification campaign and many debates about the once ever-present Neymar and Vinícius Júnior.

Neymar’s call-up caused a stir far beyond Brazil. The 34-year-old national record scorer has not played an international match since October 2023 and is fighting for a comeback after a muscle injury.

Neymar remains polarising but so does Vinícius Júnior.

He needs to improve in the national team to earn the status of a potential saviour, having scored nine goals in 49 matches and rarely matching his Madrid performances.

On the pitch, provocations are just as much a part of his game as his technical brilliance. There are also allegations of a lack of respect for others, such as last month when he was absent from farewell ceremonies for outgoing Real players Dani Carvajal and David Alaba.

But Ancelotti is convinced that he has now reached the maturity required to lead the national team – to be proven at the World Cup.