World Cup 2026: ‘Vinicius not among them’ – Carlo Ancelotti names Brazil’s five best penalty takers

Brazil head coach, Carlo Ancelotti, has explained why Vinicius Junior did not take the first-half penalty during their 2-1 loss to Norway in the Round of Sixteen of the FIFA World Cup on Sunday.

A late brace from Erling Haaland resulted in the earliest exit for the Canaries since 1990, as Neymar’s stoppage-time penalty was merely a consolation goal.

Newcastle United midfielder, Bruno Guimarães, had missed the penalty allowing Norway goalkeeper to punch the ball away.

As Brazilian fans ponder why Vinicius Junior did not take the penalty awarded to Brazil in early minutes of the game, which many believe could have influenced the game’s momentum in favor of the South Americans, Ancelotti stated that the Real Madrid forward is not even among the top five penalty takers for his national team.

Speaking after the match, Ancelotti revealed that “Vini Jr was not even in top 5 penalty takers. We did some stats and the best was Raphinha. 

“From the players available, the best was Neymar, then Igor Thiago, then Bruno Guimarães, then Martinelli”.

“Bruno in our view was the best on the pitch.”