In an interview with Le Parisien, Siramana Dembélé, former assistant to Sergio Conceição at Porto, paints a glowing portrait of Vitinha, Paris Saint-Germain’s 24-year-old midfielder. He underlines the player’s uniqueness and exceptional potential, having become a key player for the Parisian club. This has led to certain disappointments, as expectations are now immense.
Dembélé “The pitch is a reflection of his image”.
“What’s both fascinating and troubling is that you get the impression that what he achieves is easy. But it’s not. He’s learned to keep moving in a useful way. To achieve this, you need to have a good read of the game and take the right information so that the decision can be made quickly. Few can do that. But why? Because he has personality. The pitch reflects his image.
Dembélé “He’s set the bar so high”.
He has no limits. He’s in the category of players capable of doing great things. He’s set the bar so high that after a less accomplished performance, people will be disappointed. But I’m sure he can do even more: maintain this performance for several seasons and definitely be one of the greats.”
These are powerful words, and they do us good, because Vitinha is more often criticized than adulated. And yet, he is a top-class player who has made PSG much more serene thanks to his all-round metronome.
Vitinha has turned a corner, but his discretion does not allow him to shine in soccer’s star system. In a sport as beautiful as it is thankless, Vitinha shines for PSG, even if, as Dembélé says, a less accomplished performance will lead to criticism. The main thing is that Vitinha is respected by his team-mates and coach.
