“Ancelotti decides before the match who will take the penalties, and he chose Bruno. I’ve never shied away from responsibility. I take penalties at Real Madrid when the coach chooses me,” Vinicius Jr. said.

He also backed up his teammate Guimaraes. “The coach chose Bruno to take the penalty because he had been training them well over the last few days. Unfortunately, these things happen in the game. Unfortunately, Bruno missed, but I hope this doesn’t tarnish his career with the national team.”

Vinicius Jr.’s numbers from the penalty spot

Per Transfermarkt, Vinicius Jr. has taken 19 penalties in his career, scoring 13 and missing six in his career. That is a mere 68.4% efficiency from the spot. Per stats site OptaJoe, that is a below average number, as normally a decent penalty taker oscilates between 75% to 82%.

Hence, it’s not like avoiding Vinicius to shoot the penalty was an outrageous decision by Ancelotti. In fact, it was a good one. It just so happened that Bruno Guimaraes wasn’t able to score, but Vini didn’t guarantee a score by any means.

Brazil had too many chances to beat Norway

Not only did Brazil had two penalties in this game (Neymar scored the other one), but they arguably created more clear chances than Norway in this game. Now, Brazil are out of the 2026 World Cup.

Besides the two penalties, Norway’s goalkeeper Nyland was incredible, and Endrick missed a wide open shot as well. Hence, Brazil have no one to blame but themselves for their worst finish in World Cup history.

“We looked at a yearly statistic of our players. Neymar was our best penalty-taker followed by Igor Thiago and Raphinha. After Raphinha, Guimaraes was the best,” Carlo Ancelotti said during his press conference. “After him came Martinelli. We chose Bruno Guimaraes because we thought he was the best penalty-taker on the pitch.“

Ancelotti stood by the decision. He knows hindsight is 20/20, and won’t go against what him and his staff thought going into the game. However, the fact that Vinicius wasn’t even among the top-five options is something that makes a lot of noise. Vinicius later admitted Ancelotti preferred Guimaraes, claiming that he would’ve taken the penalty if chosen.

Vinicius’ numbers

The fact that Vinicius wasn’t among Brazil’s best penalty takers statistically paints a deflating picture for both the team and the striker. And the worst part may be that numbers don’t lie, yet most fans still would’ve rather had Vini take the penalty than Guimaraes. It’s easy to say now after seeing the end result, but it was also true before Guimaraes even had his attempt denied by Orjan Nyland.

Vinicius has scored 13 penalties in 19 attempts during his career, according to Transfermarkt. For Brazil, his numbers are even more head-scratching. Vini has converted just one of the three penalties he has taken while wearing the Verde Amarela.

Still, on the biggest stages, fans around the world expect their best players to rise to the occasion, regardless of what the stats say. Neymar, despite battling injuries and barely playing any minutes, did just that by scoring from the spot. In the eyes of many fans, the fact that Vinicius Jr. didn’t step up signals a lack of character and may paint a clear picture of the identity crisis that has plagued Brazil for decades.

Brazil’s crisis extends

Nothing has been the same for the Selecao since the 2014 World Cup. Would Vinicius have been allowed to take the penalty had he asked for the ball, or would Ancelotti and his staff have stopped him?

That will remain a mystery, but the image will haunt Brazil fans for decades: Guimaraes squandering his penalty while Vinicius stands off to the side of the penalty area, hands on his hips and making no effort to chase the rebound.

A picture is worth a thousand words, and this one may reflect broken trust inside the locker room, as well as a dream that has come crashing down in pieces.

Brazil’s penalty takers

Ancelotti’s confession after the heartbreaking elimination left room for many questions. First and foremost, considering the game between Brazil and Norway could have been decided through a penalty shootout, it would have been concerning for Brazil to have their three best penalty takers either on the bench or injured.

Neymar was subbed in late in the game and ended up scoring from the spot to cut the deficit in half, though in vain. But what about the rest? Would Brazil have sent Igor Thiago onto the pitch had they found the equalizer late? Or would they have stayed with the same group and risked going out on penalties like they did at the 2022 World Cup?

In the end, Brazil are out of another FIFA World Cup either way. The five-time World Cup champions will keep that title for four more years, as their journey has come to an end. In the country where Brazil won their fourth World Cup title thanks to a penalty shootout, it was a penalty that will be remembered for ending their dream of winning World Cup title No. 6.

“It’s a designated decision, just like in every match,” Davide explained. “We always finalize the order during our pre-match tactical meeting and communicate it directly to the squad. It’s a collective decision made by the coaching staff. At the end of the day, penalties get missed. That’s just soccer, and today it happened to us.”

Carlo Ancelotti also defended the decision to allow Guimaraes to take the penalty, revealing that Vinicius wasn’t even on the shortlist of candidates to shoot a potential spot-kick.

With talisman Neymar Jr.’s future with the Selecao thrown into serious doubt, the elder Ancelotti and his squad are forced to pack their bags after a devastatingly premature elimination. Meanwhile, a triumphant Norway squad march on, with their next opponent, date, and venue already locked in.

Inside the penalty drama

A rapid counterattack handed Brazil a golden opportunity to open the scoring after Norwegian defender Kristoffer Ajer hauled down Matheus Cunha inside the box. Yet, in a baffling turn of events, Guimaraes immediately seized the ball rather than deferring to Vinicius, the Selecao’s premier goal-scoring threat at the 2026 World Cup.

Guimaraes proceeded to completely fluff the spot-kick with a poor effort, failing to even convert the ensuing rebound. The 14th-minute disaster squandered Brazil‘s most clear-cut opportunity of the first half against Norway, a fatal mistake that ultimately doomed their tournament run.

The most shocking revelation was that this marked Guimaraes’ first-ever penalty attempt in a Brazil shirt. While he regularly handles spot-kick duties for Newcastle United, the midfielder failed to deliver on international football’s biggest stage when his country needed it most. Vinicius later revealed that Ancelotti preferred Guimaraes in a potential penalty.

Vinicius Jr.’s grim penalty record clouding the decision

Despite Guimaraes’ high-profile blunder, the decision looks slightly different when analyzing Vinicius’ underwhelming track record from 12 yards out for the national team. The Real Madrid superstar has converted just one of his three career penalty attempts for Brazil, a glaring vulnerability that likely forced Ancelotti’s coaching staff to look elsewhere in a high-pressure moment.

Following the devastating exit, the Selecao must now navigate a massive transitional phase after Neymar Jr. confirmed that this tournament marked the end of his World Cup career. Massive questions loom over how the federation will restructure ahead of the 2028 Copa America and the 2030 World Cup cycle.

It was Brazil’s first penalty of the 2026 World Cup, so no one really knew who would take it, but most signs suggested it would be Vinicius Jr., even though he’s missed key penalties before for both club and country. Guimaraes may not have been on many fans’ bingo cards.

After the 2-1 loss against Norway, which eliminated Brazil from the 2026 World Cup, Davide Ancelotti, Carlo’s son and member of the coaching staff, confirmed Guimaraes was the designated penalty-taker in dialogue with Ge Globo. The decision was later defended by Carlo Ancelotti, who revealed that Vinicius wasn’t even on the shortlist, with five players having priority to take a penalty.

Ironically, though in a cruel sense, Brazil’s lone goal was thanks to a penalty shot, but it was Neymar Jr.—subbed in during the second half—who put it past Nyland. Despite scoring, Neymar burst into tears after Erling Haaland and Norway knocked them out, handing Brazil one of their worst finishes in World Cup history.

Guimaraes made little sense

According to Transfermarkt, Guimaraes has scored only three penalties in his entire career. He had been perfect from the spot, having scored every attempt until his misstep against Norway, but his sample size was still too small.

Hindsight is 20/20, and Brazil may see his penalty-taking ability every day in training, but considering the goalscorers on the team, Guimaraes’ selection made little sense as he lined up before the ball. After seeing how he took his chance to score his first goal at the 2206 World Cup, it made even less sense.

Matheus Cunha would’ve made more sense, considering he drew the foul inside the box. Still, it was the midfielder who grabbed the ball and took the shot. His mid-height effort was read like a book by Nyland, and Norway steered clear of a disastrous start to the elimination game. Vinicius later admitted that Ancelotti preferred Guimaraes to take the penalty.

Vinicius’ stats from the spot

As for Vinicius Jr., he’s had some very questionable attempts from the penalty spot over the years. Still, he’s also scored some very important penalties. Per Transfermarkt, Vini has scored 13 penalties and missed six. That means he has a 68.4% conversion rate from the spot. Looking only at his penalties for Brazil, his numbers drop.

Vinicius has converted just one of the three penalties (33.3%) he has taken for his national team, which came in a friendly against Guinea. His misses came against Venezuela (2026 World Cup qualifiers) and Chile (international friendly). Perhaps those previous misses cast a long shadow Vinicius didn’t want to face against Norway at the 2026 World Cup.

In an interview with TNT Sports, Guimaraes was asked to name the best soccer player in the world, and he chose to focus on those he has faced personally. “I’ve played against Messi, Cristiano, Neymar,” the Brazilian midfielder said. “I’ll go with Messi.”

In a previous appearance on Charla Podcast, Bruno praised the Argentine forward’s talent. “When he dribbles the ball, it’s like he puts Super Glue on his foot; the ball never leaves his control! Wow!” the Newcastle player explained. “It’s Messi, you can’t stop him, you can’t.”

Guimaraes speaks from experience. He has played alongside Neymar on the Brazil national team for years, including during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. While he has never been teammates with Messi or Ronaldo, he has faced both on the pitch.

Bruno faced Cristiano in a 2022 Premier League match between Newcastle and Manchester United that ended in a 0–0 draw. He has also gone up against Messi on multiple occasions, both at club level (Paris Saint-Germain vs Olympique Lyonnais) and internationally (Argentina vs Brazil).

Guimaraes recalls his first encounter with Messi

During the Charla Podcast appearance, Guimaraes shared what it was like facing Lionel Messi for the first time. “There was a time when we were playing Lyon and PSG. Messi was already at PSG,” the midfielder recalled. “We were about to start the game. The referee gave a minute or so. Man, I saw Messi doing this gesture. I thought, ‘Man, is he talking to me?’ Messi was calling me over, gesturing like that (waving gesture). I went over, shook his hand, and he hugged me.”

Bruno remembered the awe he felt in that moment. “Man, Messi called me over to talk to him! I couldn’t believe he was talking to me,” the Brazilian said. “I swear to God, there’s a video of that moment on the internet. So I went over. He said: ‘How are you?’ I said: ‘All good, and you?’ And then the game started or something like that. I was so excited.”

Finally, Bruno spoke about how he performed in that first matchup against Lionel Messi. “In that game, I managed to mark him well. Yeah, he didn’t score, thank God that didn’t happen,” the midfielder said. However, Paris Saint-Germain still came away with a 2–1 win.

Now after apparently beating out Arsenal, a medical is all that stands in the way of Lyon midfielder Bruno Guimaraes joining Newcastle. Guimaraes is reportedly set to arrive to Newcastle at a $40 million transfer and has spent the last three seasons at Lyon. 2020/21 was his best season to date with 3 goals in 33 matches.

Here is a look at Bruno Guimaraes, Newcastle United’s $40 million deep lying Brazilian midfielder and who Newcastle beat out to sign him.

About Bruno Guimaraes

Bruno Guimaraes began his career in Audax of Brazil’s lower leagues in 2015 then moving to Athletico Paranaense in 2017 for three seasons, then a move to Lyon in 2019.

At Lyon things have been steady with 56 games and 3 goals for the club. Guimaraes has been one of the French team’s most consistent players and was a part of Brazil’s gold medal winning squad in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Newcastle is reported to have beaten Juventus and Arsenal for the services of the midfielder.