With Brazil floundering during an alarming first half of their World Cup 2026 opener against a slick and bold Morocco, Carlo Ancelotti desperately looked around for a saviour. Enter Vinicius Jr and a piece of exquisite skill to delight a sea of yellow inside this New York bowl and ignite a flawed Selecao in their pursuit of a sixth star.
Their wooden midfield, with Casemiro’s redemption at Manchester United obscured upon sporting that famous canary, and imposters at full-back enough to make Cafu and Roberto Carlos shudder, Vinicius Jr’s mercurial talent shone a light on why the heart of this tournament’s greatest team still beats.