Brazil national team head coach Dorival Junior has urged everyone to avoid placing too much pressure on Real Madrid’s star player, Vinicius Jr., drawing comparisons to how similar expectations were placed on Neymar in the past.
His comments come as Brazil revealed their squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifying matches against Chile and Peru, with big names like Vinicius, Rodrygo, Eder Militao, and Endrick featuring prominently.
During a press conference, Dorival made it clear that the immense expectations surrounding Vinicius could do more harm than good. The forward has faced criticism for his performances with the national team, and Dorival is eager to reduce that pressure.
“It will be a job for all of us. First of all, we must not generate excessive expectations,” the coach began by saying as quoted by SPORT.
The coach emphasised the need for a balanced approach to the young forward’s development, stating that no one should expect immediate results or constant high-level performances from the player in every match.
“I don’t think there should be expectations of having a high level and an obligation to try to give results at every moment.
“If we continue with these demands that we want to see the same player at a specific moment, in a situation, and it doesn’t happen in the national team. We need to be calm to be able to wait for the moment when everything happens,” he added.
The Neymar case
Dorival highlighted that football is a team effort and that the weight of expectations should not solely rest on one player’s shoulders. He reminded fans that footballers need time and space to grow, and pushing them too hard too soon can backfire.
Drawing parallels to Neymar’s early years, he suggested that Brazil had learned from past mistakes, where unrealistic expectations around Neymar created unnecessary pressure. This, in turn, led to frustrations when things didn’t go exactly as planned on the field.
“I think we followed the whole process in relation to Neymar and this has been happening for years.
“And I think we saw that it would not be a healthy path for us to create and generate excessive expectations, then we ourselves brought frustration upon ourselves,” he noted.
Vinicius has all the talent needed to become a standout for Brazil, but as Dorival stressed, his development must be gradual and steady.
The hope is that by managing the pressure more carefully, Vinicius can thrive and eventually deliver the kind of performance that everyone expects. The key is not to rush the process.