Carlo Ancelotti praised Vinicius Junior as among the planet's elite players after the winger netted twice in Brazil's dominant 3-0 rout of Scotland in Miami.
Vinicius scored both goals in the opening half, including a rare header, propelling Brazil to Group C supremacy at the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The Real Madrid forward has now found the net four times across three tournament matches. His brace took the Seleção into the Round of 32 as five-time world champions.
"I had no doubts about how he'd come into this tournament," Ancelotti told reporters of the 25-year-old.
According to him, representing the national team represents an honour for Vinicius. "He is one of the best players in the world," the Italian coach added.
Ancelotti managed the winger for four years at Real Madrid before moving to his current role. He noted that scoring a header was particularly unusual for the left winger.
Vinicius had already struck in Brazil's opening 1-1 draw with Morocco weeks earlier. He followed that performance with another goal during the Haiti demolition.
His latest two-goal haul drew him level with France's Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland atop the Golden Boot standings.
All three remain one goal behind Argentina captain Lionel Messi in the race. Messi leads the scoring charts heading into knockout action.
With these three group-stage goals, Vinicius became the first Brazilian since Ronaldo and Rivaldo in 2002 to accomplish the feat. Only Jairzinho (1970) and Romario (1994) matched it before.
Both Jairzinho and Romario went on to win the World Cup with their nations. That historical context wasn't lost on observers in Brazil.
Brazil travels to Houston for their next assignment on Monday next. They'll face whoever finishes second in Group F—either Netherlands, Japan, or Sweden.
