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"You see? This is why you're a bad player." That's what Lionel Messi is said to have said to Vitinha, after a more aggressive tackle than necessary at PSG's training ground in 2023. L'Equipe reported that the Argentine superstar was furious with his teammate and rushed to demand a settlement, but others separated them.
Although Vitinha has vehemently denied the story, internal strife was rife at PSG during those turbulent years. It was a period known as the “glorious period”, with many big signings being made at the Parc des Princes. This led to factionalism, between the superstars and the rest.
Joining PSG in 2022 as part of the club's rebuilding plan, Vitinha is not highly regarded. His €41.5 million fee is considered exaggerated compared to his actual ability.
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Vitinha and Lionel Messi on the PSG training ground when they were still teammates. |
In a commentary, L'Equipe quoted a member of Les Parisiens, saying "it is incomprehensible why the club let Leandro Paredes, Idrissa Gueye and Julian Draxler go, then recruited Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz and Carlos Soler, who contributed to creating the weakest team in recent years".
After the 3-1 defeat to Monaco in February 2023, Neymar also complained about the club's direction, when buying players that reduced the team's competitiveness. Since then, Vitinha has rarely started. And when he appears, he often leaves behind lackluster performances.
Before joining PSG, Vitinha spent time on loan at Wolves. He only started 5 times in the 2020/21 Premier League, before the English club returned him to Porto instead of activating a buyout clause at a low price. In the previous season (2019/20), Vitinha made his debut for Porto. He played 8 matches in the Portuguese top flight, but all from the bench. The boy born in the textile city of Santo Tirso was nicknamed "the 77th minute player", because he wore the number 77 shirt and often entered the field around that minute. Despite his excellent technique, Vitinha was considered slow and physically weak.
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Vitinha dominated midfield in the Champions League final with 80 passes at 90% accuracy. |
The turning point in Vitinha's career was when Luis Enrique became PSG coach. In the process of building a dynamic, flexible and cohesive PSG, the Spanish strategist identified the midfielder born in 2000 as a key factor.
He controls play, changes the tempo of the game and creates the foundation for attacks. Playing as a deep-lying playmaker, Vitinha can play a variety of roles throughout the game and influence the scoreline through his unique passing.
In the final against Inter, Vitinha made 80 passes, more than anyone else. Four of those passes resulted in goals, one of which was converted by Desire Doue. The 25-year-old also topped the tournament for total passes, trailing only teammate Joao Neves in total distance covered. He also had two goals, two assists and a passing accuracy of 96%.
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Vitinha lifted the first Champions League trophy in PSG history. |
Referring to his student, Luis Enrique praised Vitinha as "one of the best players in the world in his position". "I am rarely wrong", he said, "And right now I don't see anyone better than him in midfield".
If Messi really did call Vitinha a “bad player,” the Inter Miami superstar would owe his former teammate an apology. But who knows, that statement could actually serve as motivation for the Portuguese midfielder to improve. It’s like Vitinha and the PSG players have worked hard to prove Messi wrong when they said Les Parisiens could never win the Champions League.
"When Messi and Mbappe left Parc des Princes, they told those who stayed, you should never dream of reaching the top of Europe. Today we are here with the trophy in our hands. Hopefully they are watching us on TV," Vitinha said in happiness and pride as he and PSG completed the great treble with a resounding 5-0 victory over Inter in Munich.
Source: https://tienphong.vn/bay-gio-messi-no-vitinha-mot-loi-xin-loi-post1747633.tpo
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