Can Vinícius Jr. do for Brazil what he does for Real Madrid? - ESPN

How do you make a rock-solid case to win the Ballon d'Or? Try these three easy steps: win your domestic league, win the Champions League and lead your country to victory at a major tournament.

For Vinícius Júnior, it's two out of three so far this year. The 23-year-old forward was key to Real Madrid's 2023-24 LaLiga and Champions League double. He was the standout player in Madrid's league title run-in, and then scored in their Champions League final win over Borussia Dortmund on June 1.

Now he has the chance to shine with Brazil at the Copa América, where Brazil are widely considered favourites to reach the tournament final. But unlike with his club, Vinícius is yet to fully graduate to «main man» status with his country.

At the 2021 Copa América — Vinícius' first senior international tournament — he was used exclusively as a substitute, making four appearances off the bench. At the 2022 World Cup, the Brazil team revolved around Neymar, with Vinícius fitting in on the left in their disappointing run to the quarterfinals.

Since that World Cup failure, Brazil have struggled to find any rhythm, with three coaches overseeing a string of unconvincing results. Neymar misses out on the Copa América with a long-term ACL injury, and that means a star-shaped hole at the centre of the Brazil attack.

Vinícius is ready to step forward and fill that role.

Just as Brazil are now in the process of finding a new identity with new stars, Real Madrid faced a similar dilemma ahead of 2023-24: how to compensate for the absence of forward Karim Benzema, departed for the Saudi Pro League, without being able to count on Kylian Mbappé, whose arrival had to wait until this summer.

Part of coach Carlo Ancelotti's answer was moving Jude