Brazilian fans voiced their disappointment with Vinicius Junior following Brazil’s 1-0 defeat to Paraguay, with many arguing that he no longer deserves to be in contention for the 2024 Ballon d’Or. The Real Madrid forward was unable to make a significant impact in the World Cup qualifier on September 10, drawing criticism from supporters.
In a match that saw Brazil struggle with just 29% possession, Paraguay’s Diego Gómez scored the decisive goal in the 20th minute. Brazil managed only nine shots, three of which were on target, while also picking up four yellow cards, reflecting their difficulties throughout the game. This defeat leaves Brazil in fifth place in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, with a recent record of three wins, one draw, and four losses from their last eight matches.
Vinicius Junior, who had a chance to equalize five minutes after Paraguay’s goal and another opportunity in the 74th minute, failed to find the back of the net. His performance was rated 6.1 by FotMob, with the 24-year-old losing five out of seven duels, completing 15 of 21 passes with 71% accuracy, and managing just one successful dribble out of four attempts.
Despite being a strong contender for this year’s Ballon d’Or, Vinicius has not yet made a significant mark on the national team, with only five goals and five assists in 35 appearances for Brazil. As Brazil lags eight points behind Argentina in the CONMEBOL standings with just 10 points from eight games, fans are growing increasingly critical of the new generation’s inability to fill the void left by past legends like Pele, Kaka, and Ronaldinho.
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