PROFILE | ‘Sensational, out-of-this-world’ Vitinha a Ballon d’Or candidate | OneFootball

“Vitinha was, as usual, sensational, out of this world,” Luis Enrique said of his midfield maestro after Paris Saint-Germain’s 5-3 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Champions League. The midfielder had been special that night, well, as his head coach suggested, special has become routine. Superlatives perhaps have been exhausted before we’ve found ways to fully describe his extraordinary talents. 

However, against Tottenham, Vitinha had done something unique in his career so far, as he scored his first career hat-trick, helping PSG to come from behind and run riot at the Parc des Princes. He has often been a quiet leader on the pitch, a player happy to pull the strings and orchestrate Les Parisiens mesmerising moves, letting others reap the rewards of his work and take the limelight. But on that night, with PSG needing someone to step, he reluctantly but forcefully took the spotlight. 

Frank tips Vitinha for Ballon d’Or

Tottenham’s manager Thomas Frank would say, “Vitinha [is] the best midfielder in the world, he’ll be the next Ballon d’Or winner for me.” It’s not an uncommon sentiment. Over the past two seasons, Vitinha has quietly staked a claim to be considered one of the best, if not the best, midfielders in the world. Something few would have expected when he first arrived in the French capital in 2022. 

His signing was heralded as a new era for the club, a player who looked as if he had the potential to grow and develop, but was a far cry from the usual marquee signings that had become the central pillar of QSI’s scattergun transfer policy since they took over the club in 2011. Vitinha looked far more ordinary, a player who had struggled outside of his native Portugal during a disappointing loan to Wolverhampton Wanderers. 

Vitinha, alongside fellow 2022 summer signings Fabián Ruiz and Carlos Soler, signalled a change in direction at the capital club. Les Parisiens were moving away from big egos and star names and were instead looking at players who were team-oriented and would better appreciate functionality and the big picture. Players who would do the hard work on the pitch, while the superstars waited for the next attack. 

It’s not known exactly what happened in his first season at PSG, but it has been widely suggested that, inside the dressing room, Vitinha was held up as a symbol of failure and lack of ambition by the PSG hierarchy by some of the South American superstars in the team. How true it is will never be known, but it is certainly true that he struggled in the 2022/23 season and seemed more at ease in the next campaign when players like Neymar Jr. and Lionel Messi were swept away. 

Vitinha – Luis Enrique’s most-trusted

The single biggest turning point for Vitinha’s time in the capital, and the spark behind his total transformation, came with the arrival of Luis Enrique ahead of the 2023/24 season. Vitinha’s starting position slowly dropped deeper over the course of their first few months working together, with him eventually starting over Manuel Ugarte as the lone pivot at the base of the midfield three. 

From here, Vitinha became Luis Enrique’s general on the pitch, even more so than club captain Marquinhos, as the Portuguese midfielder understood and could execute the flow and rhythms of the coach’s tactics better than anyone else. There was a sense, even in their first season working together, of a complete synchronicity between player and coach. 

As a source close to the club explained to L’Équipe, “Soon after his arrival, the players understood that Luis Enrique would be boss. And that, in reality, the leaders would only be there to spread his message. In that context, he needed effective, intelligent intermediaries who understood his methods. Vitinha immediately became one of the players he knew he could count on.” 

He was the standout player in Luis Enrique’s transitional first year at the helm, and would be one of the few players to come out with some credit during the disappointing semi-final exit to Borussia Dortmund. And this would only grow into the next season, as Vitinha and the team took a giant leap forward and brought an end to what had long haunted the capital: the hunt for their maiden Champions League trophy. 

PSG were relentless and ruthless last season as they romped their way to the Champions League final, where they would then dismantle Inter Milan 5-0. And Vitinha was a constant presence at the heart of this team. Even in the final, where Désiré Doué would rightfully steal the headlines with a brace and an assist, Vitinha was working tirelessly to make sure the machine was running smoothly. 

On course to better his 2024/25 figures

A perfect encapsulation of his hard work could be seen in the build-up to Doué’s second goal in the final. Vitinha carried the ball from one box to the other with the help of a flick on from Ousmane Dembélé at the halfway point. He sprinted the entire distance, gracefully skipping past defenders where needed, before he selflessly offloaded it to Doué, who was in a far better position. This was Vitinha at his core: a willingness to put in the effort to make sure that his team had the best chance possible for success. 

The grand irony of Vitinha’s time at PSG is that he was signed to be a team-oriented player and not a superstar. He has never shifted from his ethos of putting the team first, and because of this, he has grown into a superstar in his own right and came third in this year’s Ballon d’Or voting behind his winning teammate Dembélé and Lamine Yamal. 

After the triumphs of last season’s treble-winning competition, PSG have looked jaded in the current campaign compared to the heights they had previously reached. Injuries brought about by the lack of rest between this season and last have disrupted the flow of the team. Vitinha has increasingly had to step up to the plate to keep the team ticking away. Already, he has registered six goals and 10 assists across all competitions, compared to the eight goals and five assists he claimed last year. Luis Enrique may have to increasingly rely on his general in the coming months.

GFFN | Nick Hartland