There is a very short list of players who have dominated a World Cup group stage so thoroughly that every single match MVP award landed in their hands. As of late June 2026, that list has exactly three names: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and now Vinicius Jr.
The Real Madrid winger became only the third player in World Cup history to win Man of the Match honors in all three of his country’s group stage fixtures, joining Ronaldo, who achieved the feat at the 2010 tournament in South Africa, and Messi, who did so in 2014 in Brazil.
What Vinicius actually did out there
He scored four goals and contributed one assist across three matches, starting with a win over Morocco on June 13, followed by a dismantling of Haiti on June 20, and capped off with a victory against Scotland on June 25.
The company he is now keeping
