Vitinha hails João Neves, puzzled by Benfica snub: Not even I know | OneFootball

Vitinha could have been a Benfica player. This revelation comes from the PSG player himself, who, in an interview with the newspaper A Bola, recounts being turned down by the Clube da Luz. The former Porto athlete also offers high praise for João Neves – who broke Cristiano Ronaldo’s record – considering that the Portuguese international will mark an era in Portuguese football.

“Benfica is a story that’s not well told. I don’t even really know the story myself. I never quite understood if they wanted to keep me and I didn’t want to go to Seixal because it was too far and I wanted to stay close to my family, so I went to Porto, or if they didn’t want me and, meanwhile, I went to Porto,” said Vitinha.

“I never really knew which of those versions was the right one, but I wouldn’t go that far because, at the time, I didn’t even realize they didn’t want me. I was very young. Or maybe I was told another version so I wouldn’t think about it. However, I didn’t really have that notion, nor did I feel that rejection at the time,” recounted the Portuguese international.

“Among the Portuguese, we have a super cool group, we get along really well, we’re incredibly lucky, but with João Neves it’s maybe a bit more special. Because we always want to play with the ball, we’re always playing two-touch or we go to the gym to play football,” said Vitinha.

“We have somewhat similar personalities and we love being in each other’s company, besides what he is as a player. Sometimes, I even feel bad for praising him so much. He’s really special and, on top of that, with the age he has, he’s going to mark an era in Portuguese football, he’ll be one of the best or the best in the coming years,” concluded the PSG player.

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