The Real Madrid winger was an anonymous figure on the pitch as Brazil slumped to a 1-0 loss to Paraguay in their latest CONMEBOL 2026 World Cup qualifier. Although he did find some spark in the second half, his efforts were not enough to secure at least a point for the Selecao away from home.

Furious Brazil fans hit out at Vinicus after the match for failing to lead his country to victory and even expressed their desire for the Ballon d'Or favourite to miss out on the coveted individual prize.

An X user, @ney2maa, wrote: "We cannot let someone like Vinicius who ghosts for his national team every single game to win the Ballon d'Or man. It would be the biggest crime in the history of the sport."

Whereas, @EifSoccer stated: "Not even an exaggeration - Vinicius has to be one of the worst international performers in football history relative to his club performances. We are talking about a Ballon d’Or future winner. He has never performed for Brazil. At this point, how can Brazil play him?"

Meanwhile, @Ollican wrote: "There’s a reason Zidane always benched him. Vinicius has been atrocious under every manager in his career except Ancelotti. This isn’t even him being a system player, which is disastrous in itself but an issue of skillset. Once he flukes that Ballon d’Or, it’s toast tbh. Smh 🤦🏾‍♀️"

@SelecaoTalk argued: "Vinicius Jr touching the ball just 37 times in a game where Brazil have 70%+ possession is extremely worrying. It’s not like he’s trying things and they aren’t working. He’s just not involved at all."

Manchester City fan @Siphe_Sihle1 chipped in: "Yet people say he should win the Ballon d'Or. Absolutely pathetic. Rodri does it for club and country."

Brazil have slipped to the fifth spot in the CONMBEOL standings after losing their fourth match in eight games. However, they are still within direct qualification bounds as the top six teams will head to the 2026 global event in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

After a dismal outing with the national team, Vinicius will be desperate to head back to the comforts of Valdebebas in Madrid where Carlo Ancelotti is waiting for him in the tactical room. He remains one of the key players for Los Blancos and will look to shrug off his poor international form when the reigning La Liga champions face Real Sociedad on Saturday.