Vinicius Jr finally delivering for Brazil at the World Cup

Finding a rich vein of form at the 2026 World Cup, Vinicius Jr has begun to change the narrative of his international career, scoring four goals in three games and saying beforehand: "If I go to the World Cup, score four or five goals and we become champions, the whole story changes." He saved Brazil in the opening draw with Morocco with a stunning strike, set up and finished moves in the 3-0 win over Haiti, then punished Scotland twice before a VAR call denied him a hat-trick.

His four-goal haul puts him level with Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Erling Haaland, behind Lionel Messi on five. Those performances have placed him in elite company: he joined Jairzinho, Romario, Ronaldo Nazario and Rivaldo as Brazilians to score in each of the tournament's first three matches, and became the first Brazil player to reach four World Cup goals since Neymar in 2014.

Neymar himself said after the Scotland game that "Vini Jr is our star player.

Brazil

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