Vinícius Júnior never doubted his form for Brazil would improve and expects it to get even better during the World Cup.
The Brazilian forward only had six goals in 39 games for his country before his former Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti took charge of the national team in May 2025. Since then, Vinícius has scored seven times in 13 games.
After adding a brace in Brazil’s 3-0 win over Scotland on Wednesday, he said: “I think it’s the result of hard work, dedication and confidence that I would improve. Because of my talent, because of how hard I work and because of everything I’ve done at Real Madrid up to now, I was sure that, when the time was right, I would perform better again with the Brazilian national team.”
Vinícius, 25, highlighted the importance of having the experienced Ancelotti on Brazil’s bench. The Italian manager had coached Vinícius for four seasons at Madrid.
“He is one of the best coaches in the world,” Vinícius said. “He understands his players very well and adapts very well to them. He came here and understood how we should play. I think it’s paid off. We’re going to improve a lot during the competition. I think he’s going to help the team grow throughout the tournament.”
Vinícius had 22 goals and 14 assists for Madrid this season as the Spanish giants finished another campaign without a major trophy. He became on Wednesday the eighth Brazilian player to score a goal in every group stage match at a World Cup.
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“There’s nothing better than returning to the place where I’ve always wanted to be, representing my family and representing a country as important as Brazil,” Vinícius said. “We’re chasing that title, and I think there’s nothing better than that. I believe we’ll continue to improve. I, too, will continue to grow and improve throughout the tournament.”
Brazil reached the knockout rounds for the 15th consecutive World Cup and have progressed as Group C winners.
