Top scorer in low form
Anger at Brazil star: “Take this number away from him”
April 2, 2026 – 7:58 a.mReading time: 2 minutes
The goalscorer regularly fails to impress in Brazil’s national team. Now he is being sharply attacked by ex-players.
For Real Madrid he scores almost like he’s on an assembly line: 17 goals and 8 assists in 43 competitive games this season. But in Brazil’s national team, star striker Vinicius Júnior has been showing a completely different face for some time now: in the last 15 international matches for the “Seleção”, the 25-year-old has only scored three times and has now gone five games without scoring his own goal.
Vini Jr. also remained pale in the 2-1 defeat in the test against France last Thursday. Now he is exposed to harsh criticism from former national players of the record world champion.
“He had his chances under Dorival, Diniz and Tite. So far he hasn’t shown anything. He doesn’t play like he did at Real,” said former striker Luis Fabiano on “ESPN Brasil”.
Fabio Luciano, who was particularly bothered by the star’s shirt number in the game against France, was even clearer: “I was really angry when I saw Vinicius with number ten.” After all, in Brazil this shirt number stands for a “genius, a thinker”. In the team’s history, Pelé, Zico and Ronaldinho wore number ten – that wasn’t Vinicius. “You’re not Neymar. You won’t solve everything alone.” Luciano demanded: “Take that number away from him. For me he’s a seven or eleven.”
After all: Brazil’s national coach Carlo Ancelotti is still sticking with the offensive player. In the 3-1 win against Croatia on Wednesday, Vinicius was in the starting line-up again and set up Danilo’s 3-1 goal before being substituted in the 67th minute. That probably won’t appease his critics.
