Former Brazil defender Miranda compared Vinicius to Neymar, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Vinicius Junior is, without a doubt, one of the best players in the world right now. He has proven that over the years with Real Madrid, although he has yet to reach the same level with Brazil. Miranda weighed in on that, comparing the winger to Neymar, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. “For me, Vinicius has a lot of quality, but he is still far from Neymar, Messi, Cristiano,” the 41-year-old former defender said in a recent interview shared on YouTube via Mario Suarez’s official account. Miranda acknowledged Vini’s strengths. “Soccer has changed a lot. It has a lot of physicality and Vinicius has the technical part and the physical part,” he explained. “But he is not like Messi and Neymar. He lacks something. I don’t know if it is charisma with people.” Approaching his 25th birthday, Vinicius has established himself as one of the top players in the world and one of Real Madrid’s leaders on the pitch. In fact, he has been instrumental in the club’s recent success in the UEFA Champions League, where he has also posted impressive goal and assist numbers. Miranda of Brazil playing against Belgium during the 2018 FIFA World Cup. However, that has not yet been enough to generate a broad consensus regarding his status as a true superstar. He has also yet to win the Ballon d’Or. In that sense, his struggles to replicate his club form with Brazil may be a decisive factor in that evaluation. Miranda weighs in on racism in soccer Vinicius has been in the spotlight in recent years not only for his performances on the field, but also for controversies involving alleged racist incidents he has faced. The clash with Gianluca Prestianni during the series between Real Madrid and Benfica was the latest of those episodes. Asked about the issue, Miranda was candid. “Here in Spain and in Europe, not anywhere, I have not experienced racism,” the former center back said. “I had my head only to play soccer.” He then explained how he blocked out outside noise to stay focused on the game. “What people said to me was only a distraction to take the focus away from the game,” he added. “When you’re going to play a game, if you let the fans take the focus away from the game, it changes the way you play a little, it takes away your concentration a little.” Who is Miranda? Retired since 2022, Miranda was a top-level player for more than a decade. He enjoyed his best years at Atletico Madrid, where he won five titles, including the 2012-13 La Liga title, and later at Inter Milan, where he played until 2019. At the international level, Miranda was part of the Brazil national team for a decade, from 2009 to 2019. During that span, he won the 2009 Confederations Cup and the 2019 Copa America. He was also part of the squad that competed at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, where he started five matches and helped the team reach the quarterfinals before being eliminated by Belgium.

Is this what cost the Gunners?

Lamine Yamal could be one of the favorites to win the next Ballon d'Or, according to Neymar. That Lamine Yamal is one of the biggest breakout stars in world soccer in recent decades is beyond debate. Not only fans see him that way, but so do some of his peers. In this case, Neymar singled out the young Barcelona winger as a potential Ballon d’Or winner in the near future. “I truly believe he is one of the greatest teenage sensations soccer has ever seen,” Neymar said about Yamal in a recent interview with Ziggo Sport. “There was Messi, there was me… but what this kid is doing at 18 years old is simply unreal.” The Brazilian star echoed what has become clear when analyzing Yamal’s performances: his rapid rise to the top of world soccer. In three months, he will turn 19 and is already one of the best players on the planet, achieving that status much earlier than most of this century’s legends. In fact, at that age Neymar was just beginning to stand out with Santos and was not selected for 2010 FIFA World Cup with the Brazil national team. Messi, meanwhile, was not yet a key figure for Argentina or Barcelona at that stage. Lamine Yamal of Barcelona Yamal a Ballon d’Or favorite, according to Neymar In the same interview, Neymar also addressed Barcelona’s elimination from the UEFA Champions League this week against Atletico Madrid, particularly focusing on what it meant for Lamine Yamal. “I felt for him when they were eliminated from the UCL. He gave everything and even sparked the comeback,” said the Santos forward. “But that’s soccer—anything can happen.” Despite that setback, Neymar believes Lamine Yamal will continue his rise to the top of world soccer, with plenty of success ahead, including in the Champions League. “His time is coming. I hope he wins it next year,” Ney said. “And why not the Ballon d’Or as well? He’s special—one of those players I’ll always be rooting for.” Yamal has already come close to the Ballon d’Or Neymar naming an 18-year-old as a Ballon d’Or favorite may seem premature, but recent performances support that claim. Lamine Yamal has been so impressive that, despite his age, he already came close to winning the award last year. At the 2025 ceremony, France Football awarded the prestigious prize to Ousmane Dembele for his performances with Paris Saint-Germain. However, Yamal finished close behind, placing second in the voting after shining for Barcelona and Spain.

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Erling Haaland and Gabriel Magalhaes go head-to-head in Manchester City's Premier League clash with Arsenal - but should Gabriel have seen red?

ARSENAL were left to rue missed chances as they were beaten by Manchester City in the Premier League title race showdown. Old rivalries continued between Erling Haaland and Gabriel Magalhaes as Kai Havertz was preferred to Viktor Gyokeres up front. The German striker could only head over late on as the Gunners searched for an...