It has become increasingly clear that the Vinicius Jr. seen today is not the same player who came agonisingly close to football’s highest individual honour in 2024.
The winger who finished second in the Ballon d’Or rankings looked unstoppable at the peak of his powers, and now, his performances and numbers paint a very different picture.
On October 24, 2024, Vinicius watched Manchester City midfielder Rodri lift the Ballon d’Or, an award the Br azilian fully expected to win.
At the time, few could argue against his case, as Vinicius had just completed a stunning season with Real Madrid, winning both La Liga and the Champions League.
He scored in the European final and ended the campaign with outstanding attacking numbers, registering 24 goals and nine assists across competitions.
In the aftermath of that disappointment, Vinicius, who continues to be linked with Saudi Arabia, promised to raise his level even further and return stronger.
However, almost 500 days on, that promise has not translated into reality. His output has dropped sharply.
To begin with, the decline is most obvious in front of the goal. Vinicius has gone from scoring once every two games to finding the net only once every four matches.
His dribbling, once a constant source of danger, has also suffered. He now attempts around 25% fewer dribbles than before, and while his success rate remains steady at 50%, the reduced volume has made him less decisive.
Crossing is another area where his influence has faded, with a drop of roughly 20% in attempts.
Interestingly, his assist numbers have remained stable, as Vinicius is still averaging one assist every three games.
Where this downturn truly hurts Real Madrid is in the points delivered by his goals.
Before that Ballon d’Or night, Vinicius’ goals directly earned his team around 20 points. Since then, that figure has fallen dramatically to just eight.