PSG: Vitinha on form, hard work, Luis Enrique and Ballon d'Or | OneFootball

Vitinha, the 25-year-old midfielder for Paris Saint-Germain and Portugal, gave an in-depth interview to the media outlet Ici Paris, published this Wednesday morning. Here is the full transcript, covering his current form, daily work to avoid injuries, the impact of Luis Enrique, his repositioning, and his 3rd place finish in the Ballon d’Or.



Vitinha: “We give 100% so that it lasts as long as possible.”

How are you doing? You seem to be in great form, both personally and collectively?

Very well! It’s true that everything is going well at the moment, for the team and for me. That’s what we always want. We know it’s not possible to always be like this, collectively and individually. But we give 100% so that it lasts as long as possible.

Do you feel you’ve taken on a special importance at PSG?

Yes, I feel the importance I have in this team. That’s a good thing. It’s a responsibility. I feel comfortable and I think it’s clear to everyone how I feel. If that helps the team, that’s the most important thing.

Vitinha: “The staff’s management is the key to our well-being.”

How do you manage to be in such good physical shape despite the string of matches?

It’s true that it’s something you have to think about. There have been quite a few matches, not much time to rest. You have to manage it well and I think the staff does that very, very well. Even with the injuries we’ve had. I think it’s normal, given the number of matches. But the staff’s management is the key to our well-being.

How do you manage individually? Do you have a routine?

I try to do the things that professionals have at their disposal. There’s recovery with cold, cryotherapy. It costs nothing and helps you feel good during matches. That’s in our best interest. You have to rest well at home, sleep well. Diet is important, I have a personal physio, it’s important to invest in that area. If I feel good, it’s good for the team.

Vitinha: “It’s foolish not to invest in yourself.”

Is your diet also precisely regulated?

I think it’s a mistake not to invest in your performance, in your profession. If you earn well, if you have money—we know footballers earn a lot—then it’s foolish not to invest in yourself. I have a chef at home, in coordination with the club’s nutritionist. It’s the little things that make the difference in the end. It’s the combination of all that. You’re never sure you won’t get injured or tired, but when you do all this, you feel good mentally. You’re more available.

Vitinha: “My first year here also helped me enormously in many ways.”

What changed when you arrived at PSG? In the way you play, train?

I already had a good foundation at Porto. Since we were kids, everyone tries to instill this way of working in us. You keep it as a professional, it’s the minimum you should do. I learned that well. When I came here, or to Wolverhampton, I did it well. Even when football isn’t going well, it’s the minimum to do and I always do it.

Afterwards, it was different here. Porto is a great, great club. PSG too. There were also more opportunities at PSG to win internationally, to be more recognized as well. I knew that well. The year I arrived, there were some very big players.

Even during the year at Wolverhampton, everything I experienced helped me be ready, to perform well. My first year here also helped me enormously in many ways to be even more solid and complete for the years to come.

Vitinha: “It’s a shame we couldn’t play together more.”

A word about Verratti?

He’s a great midfielder. It was a pleasure, a privilege to share the pitch with him. I consider myself young, but at the time, I was even younger, I had just arrived, and to play in midfield with him was truly a privilege. He’s a 100% complete midfielder, he had everything. He had defense, attack, vision, technique, he was a total midfielder.

I really enjoyed playing with him, I felt we complemented each other. It’s a shame we couldn’t play together more, but I was really happy to share the pitch with him. He’s a magician, a great midfielder.

Vitinha: “He took me to another level.”

What has Luis Enrique brought you?

I think it’s a bit of a turning point in my life here at PSG. He took me to another level, a level that maybe at the time I didn’t think I could reach. I didn’t have much confidence, I wasn’t feeling good at that time. I was trying to give my best, but I wasn’t well. He helped me a lot. I started the year well with him. He didn’t know me very well before. I think I showed him what I could do. He liked me a lot.

Then, as time went on, I gained confidence, I became more important in the team. I started playing, I was repositioned on the pitch and it took on a new dimension. I took on a new dimension. I really feel comfortable, I feel in my best condition when I play under Luis Enrique. I thank him a lot.

I’ve already said it, but you can never say thank you enough. He really helped me reach another level.

Vitinha: “I really like to touch the ball, control the game, dictate what we’re going to do, when we’re going to do it, how.”

How did the repositioning happen? With video? What points did he focus on?

I think I have the same idea as him. I play as a 6 now, I can also be an 8. He exaggerates, I think, but he said I could play everywhere (laughs). But yes, maybe I can perform in all midfield positions.

By placing me as a 6, he understood that I could do different things, bring the ball out, have confidence with the ball, provide security. I knew I felt good in this position, it wasn’t the first time.

You can never have everything, maybe I don’t score as much as before, I’m not as close to the goal. But I really like to touch the ball, control the game, dictate what we’re going to do, when we’re going to do it, how. I really like playing in this position for that, to be very involved in the match.

Vitinha: “When he saw what I could bring, even if it wasn’t classic, he saw it could be interesting.”

Are you the conductor?

You can call it that, I feel very comfortable in this position. I’m a little further from the goal. But I think for the team it brings a lot of positives. The coach could sense when he arrived that I wasn’t really a 6, I don’t have the usual style, with one or two touches. I’m used to having several touches, really fixing the player before passing. Maybe that’s why. But when he saw what I could bring, even if it wasn’t classic, he saw it could be interesting.

Vitinha: “It brings responsibilities”

Did the Ballon d’Or change things around you?

You always dream of being well placed in the Ballon d’Or. It’s the ultimate dream to win the Ballon d’Or. But before that happens… But if you told me when I was 12, that at 25 I’d be third in the Ballon d’Or, yes, that would seem incredible to me. When you look at the whole journey, when you live things step by step, it comes a bit naturally.

Is it almost logical?

Not quite, but there’s less excitement than before. It wasn’t sudden. But it’s true that when I realize what I’ve done, individually, my friends, my family, third in the Ballon d’Or, it’s great. It’s a dream. It brings responsibilities. Now, you have to maintain the level, as much as possible, to stay on this path. But I know it’s difficult.

Not many players have continued to perform every year, because today there’s a lot of competition, enormous competitiveness. So I have to do everything I can to stay there. I’m in the perfect place to do that. A big club like PSG, the European Champion. I have to try to do the same and, if possible, even better.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.