Vitinha, the 26-year-old midfielder for Paris Saint-Germain and Portugal, spoke to UEFA after being named Player of the Match in last Saturday’s 2025-2026 Champions League final victory against Arsenal. He took the opportunity to express his team’s immense pride and the sheer joy of playing. He also made sure to highlight the key figure behind the victory: coach Luis Enrique.
Vitinha: “We are the deserving winners.”
You are European champions again. What does it mean for this club to make history in this competition to this extent?
As you said, history. It means everything. It’s difficult to talk right now because I have so much on my mind and I’m at a loss for words, but it’s truly incredible and I think we all deserve it.
Fortunately, things went our way, but I think we deserved the win overall. Unfortunately, we had to suffer until the penalty shootout, but we are the deserved winners.
Vitinha: “We really enjoy playing in this team.”
You’ve received a lot of praise from both your opponents and journalists over the last two years. Does that make these successes even sweeter?
Absolutely. I think what makes it even sweeter is that we really enjoy playing in this team. We play good football, very attractive football that everyone loves to watch and that we want to play. On top of that, we manage to win, and we’ve won two consecutive Champions Leagues. It’s incredible to say that; it’s really cool, we’re filled with happiness.
Vitinha: “Luis Enrique is primarily responsible for all of this.”
Luis Enrique became the most decorated coach in the club’s history on Saturday, with 12 trophies. What makes him so special?
I think he was already the most successful coach in PSG’s history, but now that we’ve won a second Champions League title in a row, we need to look at who’s responsible. As far as the team is concerned, I think Luis Enrique is primarily responsible for all of this. “They’re the best.”
Of course, Arsenal wouldn’t have “stolen” a victory. It’s not the most exciting football to watch, but it’s also a way to achieve many wins. That deserves respect. However, it’s understandable that Vitinha emphasizes PSG’s “merit.” Beautiful play, collective energy, moments of brilliance… this team is captivating.
Titles always command respect, but the Parisians have truly reached a new level of popularity, both in France and across Europe. It’s a great achievement for PSG, even if it wasn’t their primary objective. Except that it’s not far off, because this team is especially popular with Parisian fans. A crucial point. They’re there to sing regardless of the result, because they know everyone is giving their all. And it would be unfair to complain given this team’s commitment to the game.
Coach Luis Enrique has successfully implemented his playing philosophy and achieved his objectives, both in terms of titles and prestige. of this team. He often emphasized this desire to connect with the fans, to make them proud of their team. We’ve rarely seen such harmony. It’s the work of the entire club to have put the controversies behind them, to have this collective drive. The challenge now is to maintain all of this for as long as possible, which is far from easy.
