Vinicius Junior doesn't have a body double - but Real Madrid superstar is further away from Ballon d'Or-winning form than ever before

After Brazil's shock defeat to Norway in the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup, Vinicius Junior reportedly underwent a chin harmonisation procedure to reshape his lower jaw. The 26-year-old's first public appearance after the non-surgical cosmetic treatment sent the internet into a frenzy, with many claiming he looked unrecognisable, which wasn't a complete stretch; the lower portion of his face is now more projected and angular, and his jaw contours are much tighter than before.

Vinicius' natural look was a defining part of his identity as a global footballing superstar, and the sudden transformation will take some getting used to. Perhaps he wanted a clean slate mentally and aesthetically after the biggest disappointment of his career to date, or maybe he simply felt a more sculptured jawline would suit him better. Either way, it's his body and his choice, but it was one that opened him up to a whole new level of scrutiny.

After a largely dismal start to the 2026-27 season for club and country, some fans have been quick to mock Vinicius' appearance, even going so far as to claim he has been cloned. Of course, those theories are absolutely ridiculous, but the Real Madrid winger has been a shadow of the man who was once a Ballon d'Or favourite, and it remains to be seen if he can get back to that level.

Brazil enigma

Vinicius was actually one of the few Brazil players who came out of the World Cup with any credit. He scored four goals and set up another in five appearances, with his standout display coming in the 3-0 group-stage thumping of Scotland.

It is, however, fair to say that Vinicius has never reached the same heights for his country as he has with his club. Beyond his modest record of 14 goals in 57 caps, the Real Madrid man has yet to stand up as Brazil's undisputed talisman in the same way as the likes of Neymar, Ronaldinho and Ronaldo did before him.

His struggles continued during the latest international break, most notably in a 1-1 draw with Australia in Townsville. In his 65 minutes on the pitch, Vinicius only touched the ball 36 times, completing just one dribble, and didn't record a single defensive contribution.

Social media storm

Vinicius was so careless and off colour that an X account with the username '@The HateCentral2' felt compelled to put all of his worst moments into a video that ran for two minutes and 21 seconds. The video was viewed over 25 million times and garnered over 234,000 likes, while in the comments, several fans suggested that Vinicius didn't even play, but rather that Brazil had a body double filling in for him.

Some pointed to his trademark tattoos not being visible in the videos, which just comes down to angles and lighting on unofficial match footage, while others highlighted his lack of muscular definition compared to at the World Cup. To again be clear to anyone still buying into these conspiracy claims, it absolutely was the real Vinicius, but he is clearly not in optimal shape right now.

There were some neat touches and clever runs in behind, but Vinicius' execution was generally poor, and there was little of his trademark explosiveness. That does not bode well for Real Madrid, who desperately need the Flamengo academy graduate firing on all cylinders when they get back to La Liga duty against Villarreal on Saturday.

By his own admission, Vinicius is also struggling from a mental standpoint. "The impact of the World Cup is always enormous, and coming back is always difficult," he said after Brazil's win against Australia.

No longer decisive

It has certainly looked like Vinicius is playing with extra weight on his back in the first two months of the new club season.