Vinicius Jr. relishes India return, where he won U17 title in 2016

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CBF

·2 October 2026

Vinicius Jr. relishes India return, where he won U17 title in 2016

This Saturday’s (3rd) friendly against India marks a special return for Vinicius Jr. and revisits memories of his history with the national team. Ten years ago, the forward was part of Brazil’s Under-17 side that won the BRICS Cup, a tournament held in India among the five countries that at the time formed the political-economic alliance of emerging nations: Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa, and the host nation.

At 16, Vini was Brazil’s standout player in the competition: in five matches, he scored five goals and secured the top scorer award.

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"They are good memories because I came here when I was a kid. I didn’t know I would come back here, and I didn’t know that even back then the (Indian) fans already had a lot of affection for me, because I came to this competition and right after that there was the World Cup and I couldn’t come. Everyone from India sent me messages; they are fans who follow me closely, love football, love Brazil, and I’m happy to be back here," he said in an interview with CBF TV.

During the title-winning campaign, the only match in which he did not find the net was the opener: a 2-0 win over China. From the second round on, he began his scoring run by netting in the victory over Russia by the same scoreline.

Vinicius Jr. (left) celebrates the 2016 BRICS Cup title with Brazil’s Under-17 team in IndiaCredits: CBF Archive

Against South Africa, Vinicius scored two of the three goals in the 3-0 win. Against host nation India, he also got on the scoresheet in the 3-1 victory.

In the final, Brazil faced South Africa again and this time posted a commanding scoreline: 5-1. He reached his fifth goal of the tournament with a strike in the decider.

Also among the players called up by coach Carlos Amadeu were goalkeeper Gabriel Brazão, center-backs Lucas Halter and Vitão, midfielders Rodrigo Nestor and Marcos Antônio, and forwards Paulinho, Lincoln, and Brenner.

Vinicius Jr. won the 2016 BRICS Cup with Brazil’s Under-17 team in IndiaCredits: CBF Archive

The entire tournament was held in the state of Goa, at GMC Athletic Stadium in Bambolim for the first stage, and Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Margão for the final and the third-place playoff.

The 2016 BRICS Cup was part of the team’s preparation for the following year’s South American Under-17 Championship, which Brazil went on to win. Once again, Vinicius Jr. was part of the title-winning squad.

Ten years later, Vini is back in India to take part in the first-ever match between Brazil’s senior national team and India. This historic clash will be played at 11 a.m. Brasília time (7:30 p.m. local time) this Saturday (3rd) at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium (known as Salt Lake) in Kolkata.

"It’s something special for us. Playing here against India is different; it doesn’t happen often. I’m very happy about it because I know the people here enjoy football and don’t always get the chance to see the best players, to see the Brazilian national team. Tomorrow will be a great day for them and for us as well. We hope to play a great match, that the fans really enjoy it, and that we can come back here more often," Vini concluded.