Vinícius Júnior has admitted that he is suffering from a lack of confidence following Brazil’s World Cup exit this summer.
The Real Madrid superstar has scored just once for his club in 2026–27 so far, while his struggles for form came to the fore in the 2–1 defeat to rivals Atlético Madrid prior to the international break.
Vinícius Jr. registered zero shots on target, zero chances created and zero key passes during a listless outing in the derby, before being substituted before the hour mark.
There have been calls for Madrid manager José Mourinho to drop the Brazilian amid his rut, with club record signing Yan Diomande pushing for starts. Mourinho has regularly defended Vinícius Jr. amid whistles from the Bernabéu fans this season, but has conceded the winger “isn’t at his best.”
‘Hard to Accept’—Vinicius Jr. Addresses World Cup Failure
Vinícius Jr. did manage to get on the scoresheet for Brazil, netting the fourth from the penalty spot late on in the 4–2 friendly win over Australia in Brisbane—the second of a double header between the nations this international break.
Speaking after the match, the Real Madrid star admitted that he was made penalty taker in order to help boost his morale.
“Bruno Guimarães our penalty taker when Raphinha isn’t playing, and I thought he’d want to take it, but he knows that I need a bit of confidence right now, in this moment,” Vinícius Jr. revealed.
“My teammates know I need some confidence now. Losing a World Cup is hard and difficult to accept, and the comeback is never easy.”
Vinícius Jr. scored four times during Brazil’s World Cup campaign in North America and was undoubtedly the Seleção’s standout performer over the course of the tournament. However, he came in for criticism from some quarters for not stepping up to take a first-half penalty in the Last 16 defeat to Norway—even though he wasn’t the designated taker.
Speaking after the Australia match, Guimarães—the man who missed the crucial spot kick against Norway—confirmed he was asked to hand over the ball to Vinícius Jr. to help him out.
He said: “In the World Cup, [Carlo] Ancelotti told me to take the penalty. Today, he told Viní to take it. Viní really needed to score a goal. He took it very well. We have no vanity whatsoever. We want what’s best for Brazil. We’re happy for him and it’s about continuing the work.”
Ancelotti Calls for ‘Patience’
Brazil manager Ancelotti echoed Mourinho’s sentiments that Vinícius Jr. is far from his best, but insisted the forward deserves ‘patience’ given his importance to the team.
“I know Viní very well. For me, he is a fundamental player for Brazil and he has been throughout my football history, and he will continue to be a key player for Brazil in the future,” Ancelotti told reporters.
“It is true that he is not in his best moment, nor at his best level, but even so he can make the difference, and that is what he did today. Today, I decided that he deserved to take it [the penalty] because he deserved to score a goal.
“Personally, I will be very patient, because he deserves this patience."
