Former Barcelona midfielder Giovanni stated on a podcast that Vinicius Junior is just an average player without decisive ability. He also noted that the current Brazilian national team lacks superstars of Ronaldo's or Ronaldinho's caliber.
Despite Vinicius's improved performances for Real Madrid in recent weeks, he remains under intense scrutiny. In his native Brazil, his role with the Seleção Brasileira is being questioned, having scored only one goal in four recent friendlies during the World Cup season.
Former Barcelona player Giovanni stated on the podcast "Benja Me Mucho": "Vinicius is just an average player. His importance at Real Madrid is another matter. He's a player with limited ability, mainly focused on dribbling and speed, nothing more. If you put a strong and fast player to mark him, in my opinion, he won't do anything."
Giovanni believes the striker lacks decisiveness when the game is unfavorable for Vinicius.
Giovanni continued, "Vinicius can certainly complete some attacking plays, but he's not the decisive player. The current Brazilian national team lacks a core player. They play when they have the ball, but they don't have someone like we had back in the day—no Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Romário, Ronaldo…not a single one."
This former Santos player, who played alongside Ronaldo at Barcelona, believes that Brazil has lost the superstar qualities that allow them to write legends in major international tournaments.