Vinicius stuck in 10th in Brazil goalscoring chart since debut

The last time Vinicius Junior tasted goal with the 'Verde Amarela' outfit was in the recent Copa America last summer, bagging a brace in the group stages against Paraguay. He was the MVP of the match, handing his national side three precious points to take them into the knockout stages of the competition. He missed out on the quarter-finals against Uruguay, who eliminated Brazil, after seeing yellow in the final game of the group stages, ending his run with two goals in three games. And those two goals put his total tally to five goals in 37 appearances with Brazil.

One of Vinicius' biggest flaws is his inability to perform on the international stage, especially in terms of numbers. Five goals in 37 games is certainly not the haul that a player of his calibre should aim for, even more so when Brazil require a new leader to follow in the footsteps of Neymar, who is approaching the end credits of his career. The same could be said for the likes of Rodrygo and Raphinha, who continue to shine for their respective clubs.

Vinicius made his Brazil debut on September 11 2019 in an international friendly against Peru but was only integrated as a regular at the end of 2021. In the ten games following his first appearances for the national team, the 24-year-old was mostly left on the bench as an unused substitute, seeing just over 60 minutes across four matches between November 2020 and July 2021. Taking this context into account influences the way his data is perceived.

With 37 games since his debut, the Real Madrid star is the fourth player to have the most appearances for Brazil, missing out on the podium spots by placing behind Danilo (42), Lucas Paqueta (48) and Marquinhos (52). Nonetheless, six players have scored more goals than him in that time. Casemiro has the same number of goals as Vinicius (5), doing so in fewer matches (33). And the same pattern follows for Philippe Coutinho (5 in 12) and Roberto Firmino (5 in 16).

Furthermore, centre-back Marquinhos (6) has one more goal than the 2024 Ballon d'Or runner-up, while his teammate Rodrygo, who also has a fairly disappointing tally, netted 7 times in 31 games. Occupying the third place is West Ham midfielder Paqueta with 10 goals from 48 appearances, followed by Raphinha with 10 in 31. Richarlison, who has remained sidelined with injury for the last couple of months, is the second-highest goalscorer for Brazil since Vinicius' debut. He has registered 12 goals in 34 games, remaining behind Neymar who sits in first place, despite his ongoing injury woes, with 18 in 30.

But Vinicius' problem does not seem to be a lack of chances in front of goal as he is the fifth player with the most shots taken alongside Rodrygo (55). That said, his ranking goes down to sixth when it comes to shots on target. He counts 22 (almost half of his total shots), putting him behind Paqueta (23), Rodrygo (25), Raphinha (31), Richarlison (34) and Neymar (50).

Most goals for Brazil since Vinicius debuted:

1. Neymar: 18 goals in 30 appearances

2. Richarlison: 14 goals in 34 appearances

3. Raphinha: 10 goals in 31 appearances

4. Lucas Paquetá: 10 goals in 48 appearances

5. Rodrygo: 7 goals in 31 appearances

6. Marquinhos: 6 goals in 52 appearances

7. Philippe Coutinho: 5 goals in 12 appearances

8. Roberto Firmino: 5 goals in 16 appearances

9. Casemiro: 5 goals in 33 appearances

10. Vinicius Junior: 5 goals in 37 appearances

Most goals without penalties:

1. Richarlison: 14

2. Neymar: 8

3. Raphinha: 8

4. Lucas Paquetá: 8

5. Rodrygo: 7

6. Marquinhos: 6

7. Roberto Firmino: 5

8. Casemiro: 5 

9. Philippe Coutinho: 4

10. Vinicius Junior: 4

Most goal contributions (goals and assists):

1. Neymar: 35

2. Raphinha: 17

3. Richarlison: 16

4. Lucas Paquetá: 16

5. Vinicius Junior: 10

6. Rodrygo: 8

7. Marquinhos: 8