Carlo Ancelotti reveals that Vinicius wasn't even in Brazil's top five penalty takers

Following Brazil's exit from the World Cup, Carlo Ancelotti decided to shed light on the selection of penalty takers in the match against Norway.

Details: The head coach admitted that Vinicius Junior, despite being the team's attacking superstar, wasn't even among the top five candidates for taking spot-kicks.

Ancelotti elaborated on the selection criteria: “We relied on statistics, and Rafinha was the best according to those metrics. Of the players who remained on the pitch at that moment, the best were Neymar, then Igor Thiago, Bruno Guimarães, and Martinelli.” The Italian manager emphasized that this decision was guided solely by the analytical data collected by the coaching staff.

Ancelotti also addressed Bruno Guimarães' missed penalty, which proved decisive for the team.

“We felt that Bruno was the best player on the pitch in this match,” the coach noted, effectively taking responsibility for trusting the midfielder in such a crucial moment, despite the ultimately dramatic outcome.