“Vinicius is not the player you say ‘if he plays well, Brazil will be champion’” - Brazil legend Romario makes bold claim before Copa America Q/F
Brazil legend Romario has commented on Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior's impact ahead of his country's Copa America quarter-final against Uruguay. The final-eight fixture of the tournament is scheduled to take place on Saturday (July 6).
According to Romario, the Los Blancos winger performing well would not translate into Brazil winning this competition. He claims that the only Brazilian who has such a massive impact on the eventual outcome is Al-Hilal midfielder Neymar.
The former Barcelona man is absent from his team's Copa America squad, as he continues to recover from an ACL injury. Speaking about him and Vinicius in a recent interview, Romario said (via X/SelecaoTalk):
"Vinicius is not the player you say, 'If he plays well, Brazil will be champion.' If he plays well, he will help Brazil a lot. The only Brazil player you say, 'If he does what he's capable of, Brazil will be champion' is Neymar."
To date, Neymar has made 128 appearances across competitions for Brazil, bagging a record 79 goals and 59 assists. However, he's yet to win the World Cup or Copa America with his country.
Amid Neymar's absence from his nation's squad, the Real Madrid attacker's contributions will be key to Brazil's progress in the competition. So far, he's made three appearances in the continental tournament, bagging two goals and no assists.
Overall, Vinicius has played 33 matches across competitions for Brazil and has netted on five occasions, along with five assists.
Vinicius Junior will not be available for Brazil's quarter-final match against Uruguay in Copa America 2024
Vinicius Junior is set to miss Brazil's quarter-final against Uruguay in Copa America 2024 due to suspension. The Real Madrid star was shown a second yellow in his country's final group fixture against Colombia, which ended 1-1 on Tuesday (July 2).
This booking marked the winger's second of the tournament, and this means that he will have to serve a one-game suspension. Santiago Bernabeu-bound striker Endrick or Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli are among the options to replace the 23-year-old for this game.
Brazil haven't been overly good in this year's tournament and finished second in the group stages, two points behind toppers Colombia. They managed to rack up five points after winning one game while playing out two draws in the group stage.