Vinicius Jr vs Neymar: Stats comparison for Brazil at age of 24

Vinicius has failed in comparison for Selecao ever since making his debut.

Despite all the criticism he gets, Neymar’s statistics in comparison to other current Brazilian players, including Vinicius Jr, are intriguing to read. He will always be recognized as one of the most divisive players to ever grace the game.

When the rest of the world was becoming aware of the small, mohawk-wearing genius in Santos, winning full international honours for Brazil at the age of 18 was nothing out of the ordinary for the man hailed as the heir to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Even though Neymar has 128 caps to date and is the country’s all-time top scorer with 79 goals, his international career has seemed like a series of false starts. He was stretchered off in the 2014 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal and wasn’t able to bring home a trophy with the Selecao since the 2013 Confederations Cup.

After playing club football in Saudi Arabia and missing the 2024 Copa America due to injury, Neymar, aged 33, returned to Santos. He once again was unable to join the Brazil squad for the World Cup qualifying games in March.

Although Neymar has been the subject of intense scrutiny, Vinicius, who was seen as a replacement for Neymar, has failed to live up to the expectations of the national team.

Vinicius Jr hasn’t yet experienced title victory and is still awaiting his first senior-level honour with his country after making his debut in 2019. Meanwhile, Neymar relished his initial achievements with the Selecao very early on, which included an Olympic silver and Confederations Cup victory.

It may be argued that Neymar walked to allow Vinicius Jr to run. Comparing Vinicius Jr’s current age and stats going into a tournament with Neymar’s stats for the national team at the age of 24 makes for interesting reading, regardless of the story you want to tell about their careers.

In fact, given how dominant he was for club and country at such a young age, it forms a really startling contrast that may demonstrate how underappreciated Neymar has become.

Vinicius Jr’s stats compared to Neymar at the same age (24) for Brazil

Stats	Vinicius Jr	Neymar
Games	39	70
Goals	6	58
Assists	5	29
Honours	N/A	Olympic silver medal, 2013 Confederations Cup

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