Brazil legend Romario has played down Vinicius importance to the Selecao, saying the Real Madrid winger is not as impactful as Neymar.
Romario stated this ahead of Brazil’s quarter-final clash with Uruguay at this year’s Copa America on Saturday.
According to Romario, Vinicius performing well would not translate into Brazil winning the Copa America.
He claims that the only Brazilian who has such a massive impact on the eventual outcome is Neymar.
Neymar is absent from his team’s Copa America squad, as he continues to recover from an ACL injury.
“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,” Romario said in an interview (via X/SelecaoTalk).
“The only Brazil player you say, ‘If he does what he’s capable of, Brazil will be champion’ is Neymar.”
Neymar has made 128 appearances across competitions for Brazil, scoring 79 goals and 59 assists. However, he’s yet to win the World Cup or Copa America with his country.
Vinicius has made three appearances in the continental tournament, bagging two goals and no assists and overall has played 33 matches across competitions for Brazil and scored five goals with five assists.
Meanwhile, Vinicius will miss Brazil’s quarter-final against Uruguay in Copa America 2024 due to suspension.
He was shown a second yellow in his country’s final group fixture against Colombia, which ended 1-1 on Tuesday.
Real Madrid-bound striker Endrick or Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli are among the options to replace the 23-year-old for this game.