The midfielder returned to his level of play displayed since the arrival of Luis Enrique in 2023, his third place in the 2025 Ballon d'Or but also his former teammates at PSG. The number 17 was invited to speak about his former midfield partner, Marco Verratti.
The current Parisian strategist is often compared to his elder brother whom he worked alongside for a season under Christophe Galtier during the 2022-2023 financial year. The Portuguese international did not fail to praise the Italian who is currently playing in Qatar.
“It was a pleasure and a privilege to share the field with him. I consider myself young, but at the time I was even younger, I had just arrived, and playing with him was really a privilege. He's a 100% complete midfielder: he had everything – defense, attack, vision of the game, technique – he was total. I really enjoyed playing with him, we complemented each other very well. It's a shame we didn't play together more, but I was really happy to share the pitch with him. He’s a magician, a great midfielder,”
he said. Words which should please the main person concerned but also the biggest supporters of the former red and blue number 6.
Acherchour place Vitinha above Verratti
For several months, Vitinha has moved into a new category. The Portuguese is, for many, the current best midfielder in the world of football. Its XXL performances appeal to various observers.
Often compared to Marco Verratti, who carried the Parisian environment for a long time, the Portuguese is now for some superior to his elder. This is the case for Walid Acherchour who did not fail to send a strong statement.
“ Vitinha was stunning. I'm one of Marco Verratti's biggest fans, but there's no more debate between them. What Vitinha has achieved since he arrived at PSG, and what he continues to achieve by being the leader and brains of a team that has been at the very top, what do you mean? There is only blind love, subjectivity on what Marco Verratti could do, the romantic, that could put him even higher than Vitinha, but we have to face the truth,” he declared in Winamax FC.
Before continuing: “ The player is much more total in everything he will manage, in performance, for 90 minutes with enormous regularity. I repeat, the final he made against Inter Milan is a masterpiece. What he did with Portugal in the Nations League, what he did at the Club World Cup where for me he is the best PSG player, and what he is doing at the start of the season, I channel myself so as not to blaspheme. What we are seeing are performances from some of the greatest midfielders in history. And I calm down with the culture of the moment, because basically I was a Vitinha skeptic. I was on the handbrake constantly, and I'm going to stop with him. The first half is 100% successful passes (…) and his goal with his celebration where he takes off his headband and basically says 'end of the game guys, 7-2, it's good, I've just done a masterclass and I've just punctuated it with a goal where I put the ball away in the small net', the visual impression is gigantic. »
