Vitinha on talks with Villas-Boas: “Now and then, there’s a challenge…” | OneFootball

Vitinha did not hide how “very happy” he was to see FC Porto return to winning trophies and claim the national title this season that has now ended. In an interview with newspaper O JOGO, in this Thursday’s edition, the Portugal international, who has not yet joined the national team’s preparations for the 2026 World Cup because he was involved in the Champions League final, admitted that he speaks regularly with president André Villas-Boas.

“I was very happy, very happy. I kept following everything, as I usually do. I was also speaking with some people inside the club and understanding what was changing, and I was truly very happy for everyone there, for the fans, for the whole club, which deserved this and did the right things in the right way to follow this path. It might not have happened, but fortunately it did,” Vitinha began, stressing that the Dragons are on the right track.

“If you are doing things to go in the right direction, if you are taking the right steps and doing so in the right measure to get to a certain place, even if you do not get there, you should not change that and you should be happy with what you are doing. But being able, of course, to put the cherry on top of the cake and, with the Liga Portugal title won, it is even more perfect. And now, just like me individually, in the Champions League with my club and with the national team, there is no stopping, and FC Porto should not stop either — we have to want more, we have to keep going like this,” he said.

Vitinha also revealed that he exchanges messages with Villas-Boas and that, along the way, he has already received a challenge.

“From time to time we talk, the president is five-star, incredible, and also a top person. We talk on WhatsApp, we exchange messages, congratulations here and there, because fortunately we have both won things. And every now and then there is a challenge thrown in there, a little dig, so to speak, but from both sides, because we both love FC Porto and we would both like that to happen one day,” he confessed, leaving open the possibility of one day wearing the FC Porto shirt again.

Portugal, the clear contender

After winning his second Champions League title, Vitinha will now put PSG behind him for a few weeks and focus solely on the national team, assuring that Portugal are “clearly contenders” to win the 2026 World Cup.

“Contenders, clearly. The most accurate thing is to say that we are contenders. We are clearly there along with another four, five, six national teams that are strong and can win the World Cup. But we are not going to put the cart before the horse. There is still a very long road ahead, there is preparation to be done, also an adaptation to the United States, Mexico and Canada and to the high temperatures, which will also be very important, as well as to the pitches. There are these constraints,” explained the Portuguese midfielder, also admitting that he has no problem dealing with pressure.

“I think that is a positive thing; Portuguese people should expect that from our national team, they should expect a team with ability, because that is what we have: we have a lot of potential and players of great quality playing at big clubs. We have to make that effective in the national team, a team like we showed in the Nations League, one that can win titles, a team that can aim for major trophies and go far. That is what we are going to try to do; there is great responsibility, but we embrace it and welcome it with great pleasure,” Vitinha concluded.

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