A spacious roundtable holds an incomplete World Cup trophy set, a replica of the fabled golden original, being pieced together by four of the greatest footballers in the game today. Widely regarded as two of the greatest players of all time, Messi and Ronaldo are joined by two of the world’s current best players, Real Madrid stars Mbappé and Vinícius Jr., as they spin the table to add pivotal pieces to the trophy. As they compete to complete it, a fan stops the table to place the final piece, beating them to it—capturing the childlike joy and passion at the heart of both football and LEGO.
The advert marks the release of the LEGO Editions sets: four collections capturing each player’s identity and defining traits. Ronaldo’s reflects his heroic legacy, Messi’s showcases his genius on the pitch, and Mbappé’s nods to his speed and modern dominance. Meanwhile, Vinícius Jr.’s set embodies flair, creativity and self-expression, blending Brazilian heritage with a contemporary edge.
“Dance, Vini, dance”—a phrase echoed across the football world whenever Vinícius is criticised for his joyful celebrations or playful teasing of hostile crowds. The electrifying Real Madrid forward embodies what generations of fans associate with Brazilian football: flair, mesmerising technique, and the iconic yellow, blue and green palette inseparable from the World Cup. But, as always, predicting football’s greatest prize is never simple.
With the World Cup just months away and his own LEGO Editions set now in play, we caught up with Vinícius Jr. to talk about his earliest World Cup memories, Brazilian identity, and how LEGO reflects the same kind of creativity we see on the pitch.
COMPLEX: The first World Cup I remember as a child was the 1998 tournament, when France came out victorious. But the first World Cup I properly got to experience as a fan of the game was in 2002, when that legendary Brazil team won the competition and reminded everyone why Brazil epitomises football. What is your first World Cup memory?
Vinícius Jr.: The first World Cup I really remember was 2010. I was still a kid, watching the games with my family, already fascinated by everything—the dribbles, the goals, the energy around Brazil. But the one that impacted me the most was 2014, because by then I understood the game better and felt everything more deeply. That tournament stayed with me and, in a way, made my dream of being on that stage even stronger.
We are on the cusp of another World Cup, at that stage of the season where anticipation slowly starts building for the end of the campaign and the beginning of the games. As a Brazilian and a footballer, what does the World Cup mean to you?
The World Cup means everything to me. It’s the biggest dream a player can live while wearing their country’s shirt. You’re representing millions of people, bringing joy to Brazil, and you feel a huge sense of responsibility but also an incredible pride. It’s different from anything else. It’s pure emotion.
We know you love to dance, but who are the three artists on rotation in Vini’s playlist?
My playlist has a bit of everything, but three artists that are always on rotation are Rauw Alejandro, Ozuna and Thiaguinho. There’s always music playing before games, in the locker room, or at home. Music is part of my daily life.
We’ve spoken about your World Cup memories, but when you think of LEGO, where does your mind go?
When I think about LEGO, I go straight back to my childhood. I remember building things with my friends and using my imagination with no limits. And of course, I remember the pain of stepping on a piece at home! But more than anything, LEGO is about creativity and the freedom to build whatever you want.
The 2026 World Cup presents a collaboration between the competition and LEGO, which also includes your own LEGO Editions set. What was the inspiration behind your set?
My LEGO set is inspired by that idea of representing my journey, my story, and the joy I carry both on and off the pitch. I wanted something with energy and movement, something that reflects the Brazilian way of playing football: creative, bold and always with a smile.
Football is such a global game—one I often call the best icebreaker in the world. How has football inspired your sense of creativity, both on the pitch and when it comes to your style and collaborations like this?
Football has always been one of my biggest sources of creativity. On the pitch, you’re constantly creating solutions; dribbling, thinking quickly, inventing plays. Off the pitch, that creativity shows up in my style, my collaborations, and everything that I do. Football taught me to be authentic.
Do you remember the last time you got to play with LEGO, and will you be curating your own set when you get the time?
The last LEGO set I built was the World Cup Trophy. It was a special moment because it connected two things that mean a lot to me: my childhood and the biggest dream a player can have. It felt like bringing that dream to life in a completely different way.
Your LEGO Editions set is being released alongside those of three other active legends of the game—Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and your current Real Madrid CF teammate, Kylian Mbappé. How does it feel to release your set alongside them, especially considering the great footballing rivalries between your countries?
Releasing my set alongside names like Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi and Mbappé is very special. These are players who have made, and are still making, history in football. Sharing that space with them is a huge honour and also a sign that I’m on the right path. And the rivalries are part of the game—they make everything even more special.
LEGO is creative, and it’s all about vision. So is football—a creative game with many pieces that come together to make a team, a tactic and a goal. When you think about LEGO and the process of building sets, freestyling with the pieces, what do you see in football that reflects that same creative process?
For me, football and LEGO have a lot in common: both are about building. In football, you build a team, a play, a goal—piece by piece, movement by movement. And a lot of the time, you have to improvise and create something new in the moment. It’s exactly like playing with LEGO: you imagine, create, rebuild, until you make something special.
