After leaving Brazil, Vinicius was acquitted. I did not avoid responsibility.

Vinicius Junior’s decision to miss Brazil’s penalty win against Norway in the 2026 World Cup finals sparked controversy, especially after the Seleção’s painful exit from the tournament.

While many believed that the “Real” star refused to take responsibility at a crucial moment, the footballer came out to reveal the whole truth, stressing that the decision was not in his hands, but was made by coach Carlo Ancelotti before the game.

Vinicius Junior has confirmed that he is ready to take the penalty awarded to Brazil against Norway, stressing that he has never shirked responsibility and that the technical staff had previously determined the identity of the kicker.

Vinicius said in a statement After the game“The coach is the one who chooses the penalty kicks in advance and he chose Bruno Guimarez. I’ve never been arrogant and I’ve never aspired to be the top scorer of the tournament, and that’s why Bruno made them happen. He takes penalties better than me and that’s why he was selected. That’s all. I have never shirked responsibility.”

The star of “Real Madrid” added that he realizes that many will criticize him after the game, but he emphasized that the circulating story does not reflect the reality. “Many will say I didn’t mean to hit, but I never ran away. “I take penalties with Real Madrid when the coach chooses me, and now we have to prepare better for the next World Cup and the upcoming matches.”

For his part, technical director Carlo Ancelotti explained that the choice of penalty taker was not a random decision, but was based on a careful study of the players’ statistics and their success rates in kicking over the past year.

The Italian coach said. “We’ve compiled a full year’s worth of stats for our players and opposing players. Our best penalty taker is Neymar, followed by Igor Thiago, then Rafinha, then Bruno Guimarez, then Martinelli.”

Vinicius also denied that there was any discussion or objection in the stadium regarding the identity of the penalty taker, stressing that everyone adhered to the instructions of the technical staff.

He said: “There was no discussion. The coach chose Bruno to take penalties and we trained every day and he made a decision. I have never been arrogant or aspired to be the top scorer or the best player of the tournament.

Vinicius was keen to defend his partner after missing the shot, stressing that one mistake should not erase the excellent level he has displayed throughout the tournament. He added: “Unfortunately, Bruno missed the shot and this is football. We must hold our heads high. All credit to him for his heroics and it’s unfortunate that his entire involvement was reduced to a missed penalty.”

Bruno Guimarez stepped up to take a penalty on the stroke of half-time, but he fired it into the middle of the goal for the Norwegian keeper to save easily, in a strike that became one of the most famous milestones in Brazil’s exit from the tournament.

Although the Newcastle United player had previously scored two penalties for his club in the 2025-26 European campaign, he was not the first striker for the England team.

As for Vinicius Junior, he took 7 penalty kicks for Real Madrid in the 2025-2026 season, 5 of which missed two. He also previously scored a penalty for Brazil in a friendly against Guinea in 2023, confirming that he is no stranger to taking penalties, but this time he was subject to a technical decision by Carlo Ancelotti’s coaching staff.