Brazilian striker Vinicius Junior defended his decision not to take the penalty awarded to Brazil in the round of 16 against Norway at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, stating that his teammate, midfielder Bruno Guimarães, takes them "better" than he does.

With the score still 0-0 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the Norwegian goalkeeper brilliantly saved Guimarães' shot. The match ended with Norway winning 2-1 and eliminating Brazil.

Real Madrid's star player and Brazil's top scorer in the tournament with four goals, along with Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti, faced harsh criticism for assigning the penalty duty to Guimarães.

Vinicius: "Bruno takes penalties better than me"

"The coach decides beforehand who will take the penalties," Vinicius said after the match. "He chose Bruno. I've never been arrogant, and I've never aimed to be the tournament's top scorer, which is why Bruno took the penalty. He takes penalties better than me, and that's why the coach chose him."

He added, "I've never shirked my responsibilities. Many will say I didn't want to take them, but I've never hidden. I take penalties at Real Madrid when the coach chooses me. We need to prepare better for the next World Cup and the upcoming matches."

For his part, Ancelotti explained in a press conference that, based on the players' statistics in taking penalty kicks, he decided to assign the task "first to Neymar, then Rafinha, Bruno Guimarães, and Gabriel Martinelli," noting that the first two were not on the field in the first half.