Portugal manager Roberto Martinez: ‘Vitinha is the maestro of European football.’ | OneFootball

A key figure in Paris Saint-Germain’s midfield, Vitinha (25) has earned top marks from his national team coach. Roberto Martinez called him among the best players on the continent right now.

“Vitinha is now the maestro of European football. He’s holding the wand. He is one of the best midfielders in the world, without a doubt,” said the Portugal boss.

The Portuguese midfielder has been extremely influential in Luis Enrique’s setup in Paris this season and has formed solid chemistry with another Portuguese international, Joao Neves (20).

Neves is second in Ligue 1 regarding assists (eight), while Vitinha has been key to their transitional approach, leading the team in accurate long balls per 90 (6.6) and accurate passes per 90 (92.8).

Martinez will hope Vitinha can maintain that high level with the national team as Portugal faces Denmark in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Nations League. The match begins on Thursday in Copenhagen, with the second leg taking place on March 23 in Lisbon.

Vitinha has yet to score for the national team in 25 appearances. He was one of four PSG players selected to the Portuguese side for those upcoming Nations League fixtures, along with Neves, Nuno Mendes (22) and Gonçalo Ramos (23).

Before this season, Portugal had only made the knockout portion of that tournament once, winning the inaugural edition of the Nations League in 2019.

GFFN | Joel Lefevre