Liberated. Having arrived at Paris Saint-Germain in 2022 from Porto, Vitinha (24 years old) entered the big leagues through the back door. And the learning curve was tough for the Portuguese, who had clearly become the whipping boy for Neymar and Lionel Messi. With the two South Americans gone, Vitinha seemed more liberated in midfield. A feeling that was confirmed this season with PSG (9 goals, 5 assists in 46 matches, all competitions combined). Moreover, Luis Enrique did not fail to praise his midfielder, under the nose of his team’s absolute star, Kylian Mbappé.
“Vitinha is a perfect player for a coach of my style. He doesn’t lose the ball, which is exactly what we want to do in our style. Then, he is able to get between the lines, to fix, to detach himself, to score… I have to congratulate him and push him to stay at this level and even to raise this level.“, declared the Spaniard after the victory against OM at the Vélodrome (2-0), before adding another layer after the victory in the Coupe de France against OL (2-1). “For me, he is the player of the season. If we add to that his footballing qualities, he is the best of the whole team and yet all the players are good. But he is exceptional.”.
CR7, Pepe & Co respect Vitinha
In great shape with Paris, Vitinha logically joined the Portugal team with a strong dose of confidence for this Euro 2024. And there again, these good feelings were confirmed. Author of a boss’ performance against the Czech Republic, the number 23 of the Seleção das Quinas was elected man of the match. And tomorrow, for the clash of Group F against Turkey, Vitinha will of course be in the starting eleven. Because after Luis Enrique, it is the turn of Roberto Martinez, his coach, to fall under his spell. “Vitinha has been very important in the three friendlies we have played, both on and off the pitch. There is a lot of competitiveness in training and it is important to have options like Vitinha. He is a player who can control the game, as he showed today (last Tuesday, editor’s note)”declared the Spaniard at a press conference, after the match won against the Czech Republic (2-1).
And today, The Game tells us that the entire Portuguese team is impressed by the Parisian. In its edition of the day, the Portuguese daily paints a very flattering portrait of the player within his team. “The PSG midfielder took control of operations during the laborious victory against the Czech Republic. He was elected man of the match by UEFA, a great way to reinforce his status within the national team already acquired during training and now concretized on the field. (…) Despite his small size, the midfielder has gotten used to dominating his opponents with the ball at his feet. (…) In terms of character, the former FC Porto player may not have the “home” years in the national team, nor the age of names like Cristiano Ronaldo, Pepe, Rui Patrício, Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva, but according to information gathered by O Jogo, he is already considered by his teammates as a highly respected figure in the locker room, due to the speech he gives to his teammates,” we can read. Vitinha is unstoppable…
