World Cup: Is Don Carlo’s presence getting the best out of Vinicius Junior?

The race for the Golden Boot at the FIFA World Cup has a new contender: Vinicius Junior. After his brace against Scotland, which helped Brazil reach the Round of 32, he now sits second in the scoring charts behind Lionel Messi, with four goals and one assist. Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are level with him on the same tally.

With a little more luck, the Real Madrid winger could have registered the tournament's third hat-trick. However, VAR ruled out his second goal against Scotland after Vinicius' challenge on defender Jack Hendry while attempting to win the ball back was deemed a foul. The subjective decision sparked some controversy, but one thing is certain — this bundle of energy will need to keep his scoring boots on if the Samba Boys are to mount a serious challenge for a sixth World Cup crown.

Playing in the 'hole' rather than as an out-and-out striker, the 25-year-old — whose skill set evokes memories of Brazil's golden generation — has been in stellar form through the first three matches of the tournament. Having scored just 11 goals in 51 international appearances before the World Cup, he has shown a newfound decisiveness in front of goal and an ability to think quickly under pressure — qualities many attribute to his collaboration with Carlo Ancelotti over the past few months.

Ever since taking charge of Brazil, Carlo Ancelotti — widely regarded as a master at managing superstar personalities — has placed significant faith in Vinicius, particularly with Neymar's availability remaining uncertain. The Italian tactician's return to Real Madrid in 2021 coincided with Vinicius' breakthrough into one of world football's premier forwards.

He began converting the wealth of chances he created down Madrid's left flank, delivering in the biggest moments — most notably scoring the winner in the 2022 UEFA Champions League final against Liverpool and finding the net again in Real Madrid's 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the 2024 final.

Vinicius has grown in stature among Real Madrid supporters over the past five years, though the relationship has at times been a complicated one. He has also emerged as one of the leading voices against racism in Spanish football.

La Liga has long faced criticism over incidents of racist abuse, and in May 2023, Vinicius took the unprecedented step of drawing attention to racist chants directed at him during a match at Valencia's Mestalla Stadium, prompting a temporary stoppage in play.

The Brazilian identified the culprit to the referee, filed legal complaints and publicly criticised La Liga's leadership for what he viewed as a complacent response to racism. Yet, as a footballer, he refused to change the way he played, continuing with his trademark celebrations and dances, which helped inspire the global solidarity movement, #BailaViniJr.

The Scotland game saw Neymar famously making his comeback in national colours after a 981-day gap (yes, that’s right) due to injury, albeit for a cameo of around 20 minutes.  The timing was just right as Brazil were already up 3-0 and Ancelotti, who took a calculated gamble by naming his decorated player in the final squad - wanted to test his match fitness against tougher opponents in the knockout stages with either the Dutch or disciplined Japan next up.

It will be interesting to see if Neymar could provide those unpredictable, creative touches to create channels to the rival goal against tougher tougher and more organised defence systems. However, Vinicius will remain a major cog in the wheel with those mesmerising runs and exemplary work rate in a team not really overflowing with talent.

It has been a 24-year wait for Brazil since their 2002 World Cup triumph, and whether Vinicius' chemistry with Don Carlo can finally end that drought remains to be seen.