Vinicius Junior Closes on Brazil Legend’s Record, Pulls Ahead of Kaka

The world-beating No. 7 strutted his stuff on the big stage once again.

Vinicius Junior continued writing his Champions League story. | Pedro Loureiro/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior increased his Champions League goalscoring tally on Tuesday night, becoming the second highest scoring Brazilian in the competition’s history.

The 25-year-old came into the first leg of Los Blancos’ knockout phase playoff tie against Benfica with 30 career goals in the Champions League, more than just about every Brazilian to ever feature in Europe’s premier club competition apart from Neymar and Kaká.

Vinicius Jr sat level with former Real Madrid midfielder in the history books, but he soon took sole possession of second place with a wondrous goal to secure his side a 1–0 victory over José Mourinho’s men. The sheer brilliance of the finish was marred by Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni’s alleged racist abuse toward the No. 7, a shameful moment that warped a celebration into something ugly.

The fallout does not erase Vinicius Jr’s accomplishment, though, a fact proven by his own personal record in the Champions League compared to the Brazilian greats that came before him.

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Highest Scoring Brazilians in Champions League History

Neymar is the only Brazilian to have more Champions League goals than Vini. pic.twitter.com/LAKUehvePw

— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) February 18, 2026

Neymar is still the Brazilian with the most Champions League goals in history. The Barcelona legend scored 43 goals during his time with the Catalans and then Paris Saint-Germain, becoming the only Brazilian to ever surpass the 40-goal mark on Europe’s biggest stage.

Vinicius Jr is next in the goalscoring charts with 31 Champions League goals to his name. As one of the only a few active players in the top 10, the forward has the opportunity to catch his idol one day in the future.

Fellow Real Madrid teammate Rodrygo cracks the top five as well with 26 goals in the competition, level with Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus. Only two more goals for either player will put them above Rivaldo in the Champions League history books.

The two forwards are also within striking distance of Kaká’s tally of 30 goals in third place, but they both would need to log more consistent minutes in the Champions League to make a true push up the ranks.

Pos.	Player	Club(s)	Goals
1	Neymar	Barcelona, PSG	43
2	Vinicius Jr	Real Madrid	31
3	Kaká	Milan, Real Madrid	30
4	Rivaldo	Barcelona, Milan, Olympiacos	27
T-5	Rodrygo	Real Madrid	26
T-5	Gabriel Jesus	Man City, Arsenal	26
7	Jardel	Porto, Galatasaray	25
8	Élber	Bayern, Lyon	24
9	Roberto Firmino	Liverpool	22
10	Luiz Adriano	Shakhtar, Spartak Moscow	21

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Vinicius Jr Chasing Champions League Greatness

Vinicius Junior (right) has a long way to go before he reaches Kylian Mbappé’s UCL goalscoring tally. | M. Gracia Jimenez/Soccrates/Getty Images

Vinicius Jr might be the second highest scoring Brazilian in Champions League history, but he still has a long way to go before he reaches the heights of the competition’s all-time top scorers. The former Flamengo standout’s 31 goals currently put him 27th among the greatest goalscorers to ever play European football.

Even 10 more goals will only bring Vinicius Jr to 22nd place, level with Manchester City legend Sergio Agüero. To crack the top 10, the No. 7 needs to bag at least 50 goals, the tally Thierry Henry reached during his days at Arsenal and Barcelona.

With Kylian Mbappé, who sits sixth all-time with 68 Champions League goals, now playing alongside him, the chances of Vinicius Jr hastily climbing the goalscoring charts is rather unrealistic. This season alone, the Brazil international has only found the back of the net twice in his favorite competition, while the Frenchman has scored 13 goals so far.

Still, even if he never reaches the heights of Mbappé or his idol Cristiano Ronaldo, Vinicius Jr will sleep peacefully knowing is the youngest player in the competition’s history to score in two Champions League finals, both of which helped Real Madrid lift the most prestigious trophy in club football.

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