Carlo Ancelotti decides against calling up Real Madrid ace Vinicius Jr in upcoming international break for Brazil as alleged reason comes to light

According to GE Globo (via Madrid Xtra on X), Carlo Ancelotti has decided to omit Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr from Brazil's squad for the upcoming September International break. The five-time world champions are set to play Chile (September 5) and Bolivia (September 10) in the final two matches of the qualification series.

Vinicius has been integral to Brazil's performance in the World Cup qualifiers, recording two goals and two assists from 11 matches. Notably, he scored the goal that secured Brazil's ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in a 1-0 win over Paraguay in June.

However, the Real Madrid superstar will reportedly not be in action for the dead-rubber fixtures against Chile and Bolivia. As per the aforementioned source, Ancelotti has decided against calling up the 25-year-old.

Vinicius was initially going to miss the penultimate clash with Chile due to accumulated yellow card suspension. With nothing at stake, Ancelotti has also reportedly opted to rest him for the Bolivia match.

Meanwhile, Vinicius' performance in recent months has also raised eyebrows as he has suffered a dip in form. At the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, he managed just a goal and an assist in six outings for Los Blancos.

Additionally, his future at the Santiago Bernabeu remains subject to speculation as he is yet to sign a contract extension amid strong interest from Saudi Arabia. Vinicius is expected to line up for Madrid in their league opener against Osasuna on Tuesday, August 19.

How did Vinicius Jr perform for Real Madrid in the 2024-25 season?

The 2024-25 campaign will be one season most Real Madrid fans will be keen to forget in a hurry. Los Blancos managed to clinch the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Intercontinental Cup, but lost the league, Copa del Rey, and Supercopa de España to eternal rivals Barcelona.

As for Vinicius Jr, the season was a step down from the 2023-24 campaign, which saw him lead his team to major honours and become a major contender for the 2024 Ballon d'Or.

The 2024 FIFA Best Men's Player of the Year recorded 22 goals and 19 assists in 58 matches across competitions in the 2024-25 campaign. Although his numbers were impressive, the Brazilian failed to turn heads like he did the season before.

With a new manager in Xabi Alonso now calling the shots at the Santiago Bernabeu, Vinicius will hope to rediscover top form and guide Real Madrid to a much better outing in the 2025-26 season.

About the author

Okenna is an football journalist at Sportskeeda. He has previously worked as a radio presenter at Green FM Umuahia for 4 years, and as a writer at Opera News Hub Nigeria for around 2 years. As a successful modus operandi, he strictly sticks to publishing guidelines, double checks facts while writing, pays very close attention to details and prides himself on picking complex topics to write on.

A Chelsea fan, Okenna had his first tryst with Blues in 2006, after fellow countryman John Mikel Obi joined the west London club. He was immediately drawn to the brilliance of players like Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, John Terry and Didier Drogba.

Okenna is a huge fan of Lionel Messi for his exceptional talent. He also admires Jose Mourinho for his achievements with various clubs which proves he's a tactical and disciplined manger as well as a serial winner.

Some of Okenna’s prospective career landmarks include working as an international journalist and covering a FIFA World Cup game live from the stadium. When not writing, he loves watching, movies and reading books.

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Edited by Okenna Okere