Brazilian Legends Confirm: Vinícius a Changed Man, Neymar's Return a Relief, Says Borbély

Joe Borbély, former manager of Pelé and current general manager of the Brasil Masters legends team, spoke highly of the squad's performance, particularly praising Vinícius Júnior.

According to Borbély, the five-time world champions have shown significant progress in their recent outings compared to previous matches. "Brazil's performance against Scotland was finally somewhat watchable, but it must be admitted that they faced a very weak opponent. Nevertheless, there was a noticeable improvement in the Seleção's play compared to their struggles against Morocco and Haiti," Borbély told SITA news agency.

He believes Vinícius Júnior has been the biggest surprise of the tournament for Brazil. While often criticized at Real Madrid for clashes with referees and emotional outbursts, he appears completely different in the national team jersey at the championship.

"Vinícius is playing in a completely different style than he does at Real Madrid. He's much more of a team player; we don't see constant arguments with referees or diving for various situations and fouls. Ronaldo 'Fenomeno' and Rivaldo personally confirmed to me that Vini is suddenly a completely different player, fully focused on football. And that's precisely what's significantly boosting the quality of his performances," Borbély stated.

He also shared an interesting observation from within the Brazilian legends' circle. "Romário expressed similar admiration, which was certainly not a given in the past. So far, Vinícius is undoubtedly the team's most prominent figure," he emphasized. The 25-year-old winger also made history at the championship, becoming the first player to win the Man of the Match award in all group stage matches.

Neymar's return after a long battle with injuries is also a major talking point. Ancelotti gave him his World Cup debut late in the match against Scotland, which Brazil won 3-0. Borbély claims that his comeback was anticipated behind the scenes of the Brazilian national team.

"He's just like that – always extremely emotional. We were all more worried about whether he would get injured during his time on the pitch or if an opponent would stop him with a hard tackle when he started showcasing his typical brilliant tricks. Fortunately, he managed it, and his return after a very long time is being viewed positively. Neymar is a great asset to the Seleção, even psychologically," he concluded.

However, Borbély believes the true measure of Brazil's strength will only become apparent in the knockout stages. Brazil's first truly tough match at this World Cup awaits them in the Round of 16 against Japan.

"They will be an extremely challenging opponent, and everything will be on the line. If Brazil handles it, it will give the team immense psychological comfort and playing confidence. Then we could see a completely different Brazil, one that will need to be seriously considered in the fight for the World Cup title," concluded the former manager of footballing legend Pelé.