Vitinha busts the myth of easy matches

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·28 de dezembro de 2025

Vitinha busts the myth of easy matches

At 25, Vitinha, midfielder for Paris Saint-Germain, offers an unfiltered view on the evolution of modern football. In an interview with A Bola, the Portuguese international explains why easy matches have disappeared, both at PSG and with Portugal, and defends a demanding vision of a game that has become ultra-competitive.

Vitinha "Football has undergone many changes..."

"Football has undergone many changes... Tactically, in terms of competitiveness, in the way the game is approached. Football is often criticized, with people saying it's no longer as magical, as beautiful, as attractive as before, and I understand that, but it's inevitable. All teams want to win. They are much better informed, much better organized than before. Tactically, they are much stronger. Any team fighting for survival knows perfectly how to defend, how to position themselves, how to create a low block, and how to challenge the big teams. It's difficult to play against any team today.

Vitinha "Today, teams really complicate our lives"

There are no easy matches, no match against the bottom team of Ligue 1 where you think: 'We will win easily, without even worrying.' That doesn't exist. You always have to be at your best, even more so in a club like PSG and in a national team like Portugal. Always give your maximum, always be focused, always want to win every three days. Because when that's not the case, it's a disaster. Today, teams really complicate our lives.

Vitinha "People always go to the stadium to see beautiful football"

As I said, João and I, but also all the other players, love having the ball at our feet, creating, playing like when we were kids. That will always be the reason why we are noticed." I can't say we are noticed because of me or João, but always because of a Yamal, a Dembélé, or a Pedri. It doesn't matter. People always go to the stadium to see beautiful football thanks to these players, because what they do is magnificent to watch and that's what excites us..."

For Vitinha, humility is neither a slogan nor a communication posture: it's a survival condition at the highest level. The Portuguese midfielder says it bluntly: believing you are superior before even playing is already starting to lose. Respecting football, for him, means first accepting that every opponent works, progresses, analyzes, and prepares their matches with almost surgical precision. There are no more "weak" teams, only teams that are ready and those that are not enough.

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In a club like Paris Saint-Germain, this reality is even more brutal. The opponent often plays their match of the year, sometimes of the season. The slightest approximation, the slightest mental relaxation, becomes an invitation to punishment.

Vitinha then insists on this famous "extra effort": the one that doesn't make the stands rise, but that wins matches. A seemingly unnecessary defensive run, pressing maintained in the 82nd minute, concentration intact when the body demands comfort. That's where the difference is made.

His speech reminds us of a simple but demanding truth: talent alone is no longer enough. Modern football rewards those who respect the game down to its most thankless details. Humility, here, is not a weakness.

It's a daily discipline, almost an ethic. And in a context where everything moves very fast, where victory can give the illusion of mastery, Vitinha sets a clear framework: without respect, without work, without extra effort, football always reminds us of the order.

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