Vinicius Junior has just turned 25 years old, but how do his international stats compare with Neymar‘s at the same age? We’ve crunched the numbers.
The Real Madrid winger undoubtedly ranks among the best players in world football today, although his impact on the international stage has often been called into question.
While Neymar managed to establish himself as Brazil’s talisman during his peak years, Vinicius hasn’t quite been able to have the same impact.
After breaking through at Santos, Neymar made his international debut at the age of 18 and he quickly established himself as a key player.
By the age of 25, he’d already racked up 75 appearances for Brazil and had scored 51 goals and produced 30 assists.
His most prolific year came in 2014 when he scored 15 goals in 14 international appearances. He was at the peak of his powers during the 2014 World Cup, until a back injury against Colombia prematurely ended his tournament.
Since turning 25, he’s gone on to become Brazil’s all-time top scorer and is Brazil’s second-most-capped player of all time, behind Cafu.
In comparison, Vinicius has struggled to hit the same heights as Neymar on the international stage, although there’s still time for the 25-year-old yet.
As of writing, he’s made 41 appearances for Brazil, 34 fewer than Neymar had played at the exact same age.
It therefore won’t come as a surprise that Vinicius’ stats pale in comparison to Neymar’s. In 41 appearances, he’s scored seven goals and has produced six assists.
Even taking his limited games into consideration, his minutes per goal ratio is still vastly inferior to Neymar’s.
At the age of 25, Neymar averaged a goal every 123.5 minutes for Brazil, whereas Vinicius averages a goal every 380.4 minutes.
In total, they’ve played alongside each other on 16 occasions for Brazil and they share a mutual respect with one another.
As long as Neymar is in good shape next year, there’s a decent chance that they’ll be starting alongside each other at the 2026 World Cup.
“We have a wonderful relationship, I love Vini,” Neymar told reporters last year.
“Vini is beyond, and he is a great friend to whom I was introduced by football.
“He’s a hard worker and has suffered a lot throughout his life, but he’s surpassed all expectations and (coped with) all the criticism.
“Today, he has become a great idol and a great hero for us, so I am very happy, very happy that he’s carrying this Brazilian flag around the world.”
Here’s the full breakdown of how Neymar’s International stats come with Vinicius Junior’s at the age of 25.
Neymar’s Brazil stats at age 25
Games: 75 ⭐
Goals: 51 ⭐
Assists: 30 ⭐
Goal contributions: 81 ⭐
Penalties: 7 ⭐
Minutes per goal: 123.5 ⭐
Minutes per non-penalty goal: 143.2 ⭐
Minutes per goal or assist: 77.8 ⭐
Vinicius Junior’s Brazil stats at age 25
Games: 41
Goals: 7
Assists: 6
Goal contributions: 13
Penalties: 1
Minutes per goal: 380.4
Minutes per non-penalty goal: 443.8
Minutes per goal or assist: 204.8
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