Neymar is back, but Brazil’s breakout star Vini Jr. is dominating this World Cup
One of the loudest cheers on Wednesday night from the partisan Brazil crowd of 64,487 at Hard Rock Stadium came after the second hydration break of the second half.
Neymar, Brazil’s all-time scorer in international competition, was back on the pitch and playing for his home country for the first time in 981 days.
One of the happiest to see him was teammate Vinicius Junior.
“We had our idol back out on the pitch,” Vini Jr. said after the game. “His return was very important for us.”
But while he praised one of their nation’s legends in the sport, Vini Jr. was the biggest reason Brazil wrapped up its 3-0 victory over Scotland with relative ease.
The 25-year-old Real Madrid winger is Brazil’s breakout World Cup superstar and he proved it again on Wednesday with two first-half goals.
Brazil’s win secured the top spot in Group C and a berth in the Round of 32.
Vini Jr. is also the primary reason Brazil is looking like its old self again and a serious contender to win this year’s World Cup, which would be the country’s first since 2002 and add an elusive sixth championship to their collection that still leads all other nations.
With most of the talk about the top performers at this World Cup centering around Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, Vini Jr.’s performance in the group stage has put him square in that conversation and the tournament’s Golden Boot race.
Vini Jr. has four goals, which tied Mbappe and Haaland, who will play against each other on Friday. Messi leads the field with five goals through his first two matches.
“Vini is in great form at the moment and the team helps him a lot,” Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “He can play in various positions, both on the inside and on the wing.”
Vini Jr. became the first Brazilian player to score in each of his team’s three Group stage matches since that 2002 championship team.
He also barely missed becoming the first Brazilian player to secure a hat trick in a World Cup match since the legendary Pele did it in 1958.
“It’s very rewarding to see Vinicius like this, I had no doubt he could reach this level,” Ancelotti said. “I wasn’t the one who discovered Vini, he’s a top-class player, one of the best in the world.”
Neymar played the final 21 minutes of the match in his first action overall since May 17 after suffering a calf injury.
And while his presence on and off the field is welcomed by his teammates especially after the loss of Raphinha to a hamstring injury, it’s Vini Jr. who is pacing Brazil.
Seven minutes into the match, a Scottish turnover inside its own box allowed Vini Jr. to strike quickly after Bruno Guimaraes fed him the ball perfectly in front of an empty net.
Vini Jr. created his own chance in the third stoppage minute of the first half to put Brazil ahead 2-0.
It would have been 3-0 at that point and the historic hat trick for Vini Jr., had his goal in the 22nd minute not been overturned by the VAR (video assistant referee). Vini Jr. appeared to steal the ball just at the top of the box and fired it past Scotland keeper Angus Gunn. But the review determined that Vini Jr. had committed a foul on Scott McKenna when stealing the ball.
“Today we played our best game,” Vini Jr., who was named the Man of the Match, said. “But we’re still going to have to get better as the knock-out stage approaches.”
CASEMIRO SNEAK PREVIEW
While Vini Jr. was commanding the attention up front, Brazil midfielder Casemiro gave Inter Miami fans a glimpse of what they might be in store for once the World Cup is over.
Casemiro, 34, is leaving Manchester United as a free agent and an Inter Miami source with knowledge of negotiations told the Miami Herald that the club has finalized a contract with him to join Messi and his teammates during MLS’s upcoming secondary transfer window, which runs from July 13 to Sept. 2.
Inter Miami cannot make it official until the club works out a compensation plan with the Los Angeles Galaxy, which holds Casemiro’s “discovery rights,” which allow a club priority to negotiate with a player that club has put on its Discovery List.
Casemiro started on Wednesday and played 65 minutes before being substituted for with the team leading by three goals. He did not put his name on the scoresheet, but had eight defensive interventions (the actions players use to regain possession, block shots, or disrupt opponent attacks) in the first half and won the ball in head-to-head battles for possession five times.
This story was originally published June 25, 2026 at 8:13 AM.
