Vitinha: how Portugal midfielder kept believing after struggles under Nuno at Wolves | OneFootball

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Vitinha is widely regarded as one of the finest players in his position across Europe these days, having made himself the heartbeat of Luis Enrique’s side.

Indeed, ahead of recent coverage of PSG’s victory over Aston Villa in the Champions League, even William, Prince of Wales joined those praising Vitinha’s progress in Paris. Yet such an ascent looked unlikely a few years ago, following an unsuccessful spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers during his first venture abroad.

Wolves signed Vitinha on a loan deal with a €20m purchase option in September 2020, with super agent Jorge Mendes naturally heavily involved in the move. A week earlier, teenage striker Fábio Silva also left the Dragão for Molineux on a five-year contract for a fee of €40m.

Joining the pair in heading to the west midlands that summer was Brazilian defender Fernando Marçal, who arrived from Lyon. Marçal spoke to French outlet L’Equipe last week and the conversation led itself to Vitinha, who admitted towards the end of his season in England that he had expected to play more under Portuguese manager Nuno Espírito Santo.

“I’m not going to lie: I came with the idea of having more minutes, playing more and being in the team more often, but it didn’t happen,” Vitinha told O Jogo in the spring of 2021. “I had the same type of opportunities and tried to make the most of every bit of it to show my value and help the team.”

Marçal’s recollection of the time the pair spent together gave a fascinating insight on Vitinha’s mentality, which was tested after Wolves did not take up their option to make his stay permanent and the then 21-year-old headed back to his homeland to rebuild momentum at Porto under Sérgio Conceição.

“I asked him how he thought next season would go for him and he replied: ‘Marçal, I’m going back to Porto, I’m going to smash it there and the season after I’ll be playing for one of the 8 best teams in Europe.’ I thought to myself, 'Wow, this guy can’t get a game at Wolves and he thinks he’s gonna sign for Man City or a club like that? He’s a bit crazy!’ But no, he certainly wasn’t.

“The coach was hard on him. Despite doing amazing things in training, he couldn’t convince him. Nuno Espírito Santo wanted Vitinha to keep it simple, to release the ball more quickly. He tried to follow instructions but he didn’t want to lose his identity.”

The picture is very different now at Paris Saint-Germain, where current coach Luis Enrique regularly gushes over Vitinha’s importance. “He is unique,” Luis Enrique said in February. “In possession, he is vital for us in his pivot role, he manages the ball perfectly, he does not lose it, and brings a lot to the team. He is strong physically, mentally, and he plays a difficult and complicated role in the PSG midfield. He embodies the perfect midfielder.”

As Prince William put it earlier this month: “[Vitinha] shows you that a couple of years in development terms and backed by the right manager, you go places.”