By Fernando Kallas
EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey, June 12 (Reuters) - Vinicius Jr is not in the United States for baubles, headlines or tournament trinkets.
Speaking ahead of Brazil's opening match against Morocco on Sunday the livewire winger made it clear he has arrived at the World Cup with one simple job -- to help drag the five-times champions back to the summit.
"The World Cup isn't starting tomorrow; for us, it began several days ago because we’re so focused on our game, our development and our preparation
to hit the ground running at the World Cup," Vinicius told a press conference on Friday.
"I don't care about individual titles, I’m not here to be the MVP; I’m here to help Brazil win a sixth World Cup title. I’m not here to be the best player in the tournament; I’m here to help Brazil return to the top."
Brazil have been chasing their sixth World Cup title for 24 years and, after crashing out in the quarter-finals in the last two editions, the pressure is as high as it could be.
However, being a big part of the 2022 team that lost on penalties to Croatia in Qatar, Vinicius said that the scars of the last World Cup had sharpened the squad's focus.
"The World Cup is different from any other tournament I've played, and the last one taught me that we have to be prepared right up until the final minute of the match," he said. "We have to do things differently – lessons learnt."
WEIGHT OF AMBITION
For Vinicius, this tournament carries the weight of both ambition and timing.
He said he was in perfect physical shape after avoiding injury this season and described the World Cup as "the most important and special moment" of his career.
He credited Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti with giving him the licence to be himself in the many years they were together at Real Madrid, winning two Champions League titles in 2022 and 2024.
"I’ve played more matches and have more experience than in the last World Cup, and I’m here to have an excellent tournament," Vinicius said.
"Playing for Ancelotti is special because he gives me the freedom to do what I do best. I'm not talking about only scoring goals, but playing well. It doesn't matter how many goals I score; what matters is the team.
"Ancelotti always says we have to play the full 90 minutes with the utmost concentration because, in a World Cup, small details can make all the difference."
(Reporting by Fernando Kallas, editing by Ed Osmond)
