Brazil coach Ancelotti says Vinicius deserves ‘patience’

Ancelotti called Vinicius ‘a key player for the future’. | Photo Credit: AP

Despite a slow start to the season, Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti backed Vinicius Jr. to rediscover his form, saying the forward makes a difference even when he is not at his best.

Forward Vinicius has scored just one ‌goal in eight appearances across all competitions this season for Spanish ‌club Real Madrid, which sits fourth ‌in ⁠the La Liga standings with 15 points.

However, ⁠the 26-year-old showed flashes of his quality in Brazil’s 4-2 friendly victory over Australia in Brisbane ​on Tuesday, contributing ‌to the third goal and converting a penalty for the fourth.

“I know Vini very well. To me, he is a ‌key player for the national team - ​a key player for Brazil - and he was a key player ⁠in my own footballing journey,” said Ancelotti, who also coached Vinicius when he was ‌in charge of Real Madrid.

“He is a key player for the future. Is he at his best right now? No, he isn’t, but it is the start of the season. And Vini, ‌always, even when he isn’t at his best, ​he can still make the difference, just as he did today.

“The goal ⁠that really opened up the game was ⁠thanks to him. So, I’m going to be very patient, because he ‌deserves that patience.”

Brazil next travel to Kolkata for a friendly with India ​on Saturday.

(With inputs from Reuters)

Published on Sep 30, 2026

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