Vitinha reveals the secret behind PSG’s and their players’ success

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·27 December 2025

Vitinha reveals the secret behind PSG’s and their players’ success

Voted Personality of the Year 2025 by A Bola, Vitinha, a 25-year-old midfielder from Paris Saint-Germain and Portugal, explained to the newspaper his mindset and what makes PSG so strong. He provides the key, which he believes is common to football and other team sports.

Vitinha: "Ensuring the collective takes precedence over the individual."

"I tend to prioritize the collective. I tend to play for the team. I am also that kind of player, and this approach is the right one. But, besides being the right thing to do, it also benefits me. Being a team player, a player who needs a group, a good context, where we all work towards the same goal and row in the same direction, the fact that this has happened has brought me a lot. Whether it's me or someone else, in any team, this should always be the main objective, the way forward, the solid foundations... It’s about thinking first of the collective, ensuring the collective takes precedence over the individual, even if we have great individual talents, whether at PSG, in the national team, among the youth, this applies to all teams, I would even say to all team sports."

Vitinha: "Only then come Player of the Year, Ballon d'Or."

Because the team is more important, and only then come Player of the Year, Ballon d'Or for Dembélé, Nuno [Mendes], who is the best left-back in the world, etc. We could talk about countless players because we all benefit."

This is a speech well-known at PSG now. It's the idea that was instilled during the project renewal in 2023 led by the arrival of coach Luis Enrique. This does not mean that the collective was always forgotten before. Even if individualities had become very dominant just before.

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But there was too much of the idea that the "stars" would make the difference, that they could change everything and that other players had to "work" for them. As if some were somewhat apart from the team, from the efforts required. This made certain absences dramatic and took away confidence from other players.

With the current philosophy, the game plan does not depend on a few players, even if there are adaptations. PSG knows how it wants to play and does not panic in the face of absences. Every player is entitled to confidence and knows they must work for the team. Coach Luis Enrique has already made very strong choices for those who strayed from this idea.

It may be difficult to implement this philosophy so well. It might be easier with a group so well-armed individually. But it's a great example to follow. The year 2025 proved PSG right, as they managed to make their players shine by thinking of the team. Not the other way around.

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