Vitinha, Paris Saint-Germain’s 25-year-old midfielder, spoke at a press conference about the busy run of fixtures. Referring to the recent comments made by Jules Koundé (26), the Portuguese admitted that the ever-growing calendar takes its toll on both players and coaches.
Vitinha: “The truth, and I feel it, is that there are a lot of matches”
“I’m probably not the best person to speak about the organization of matches and the calendar. The truth, and I feel it, is that there are a lot of matches. I don’t like to complain, playing football is the most beautiful job in the world, what I love the most, but in the end, it becomes too much for everyone. I saw Koundé’s statements yesterday.”
Vitinha: “Maybe we can’t play our best football”
“It’s not just the players, but also the coaches, who spend days and nights preparing matches and training sessions. For players, it’s ultimately very hard, maybe we can’t play our best football, in the best way. There are a lot of injuries, but that’s how it is. All I can say is that we feel it.”
Vitinha’s comments highlight a structural problem in modern football: the oversaturation of the calendar. Between Ligue 1, the Champions League, international competitions, and summer tours, PSG’s players no longer have genuine recovery periods.
According to him, this extreme pace reduces the quality of play and increases the risk of injuries — a phenomenon observed every season among Europe’s top stars.
Behind these words lies an implicit criticism of the governing bodies, more focused on television rights and commercial tours than on the health of players. By echoing Koundé’s concerns, Vitinha reflects the growing discontent among footballers toward a system that ultimately harms both their performance and the spectacle.
