Rui Barros, 60, former midfielder for Marseille, Monaco, and FC Porto, spoke at length in L’Équipe about Vitinha, 25, now a key player for Paris Saint-Germain. The former Portuguese international (36 caps) highlighted the midfielder’s meteoric rise and now places him among the players capable of aiming for… the Ballon d’Or. Source: L’Équipe.
Rui Barros: “He was taught some things, but he went out and found the rest himself.”
“He’s a product of FC Porto, so it’s a huge source of pride for the whole club. Even as a youngster, he was already technically incredible, and we knew he would become a good player. But a top player, we couldn’t have known. Because he decided that. He was taught some things, but he went out and found the rest himself, which is what makes the difference between very good players and top players.
He has developed at every level.” He has developed a level of physical fitness that doesn’t necessarily make him technically better, but it certainly enhances his skill. Today, he’s a brain, the brain of the team at PSG, but also for the national team. It’s the result of his hard work.
Rui Barros: “He has the makings of a future Ballon d’Or winner, that’s undeniable.”
He has the makings of a future Ballon d’Or winner, that’s undeniable, because every year he plays every match and his performances are almost always top-level. At worst, he’s acceptable on an off day. In fact, he’s phenomenal. He’s not just a player who intercepts, wins back possession, dribbles, or controls the ball.
Rui Barros: “He’s very physically valiant, constantly active, he’s the one who makes the team progress.”
“He has great versatility in his game; he knows how to find and create space with his passing and movement. He’s very physically valiant, constantly active, he’s the one who makes the team progress. He also knows how to shoot, score from distance by choosing the right shots, almost always on target, with low balls, close to the ground, difficult for goalkeepers to reach. There isn’t much he could significantly improve in his game, except perhaps in aerial duels, but in his position, that’s not very important.”
What Rui Barros says goes beyond the usual compliment between compatriots. The former midfielder sees in Vitinha a player who has literally taken his game to another level, pushing himself to complement what the Portuguese youth system had taught him. This is where his testimony becomes interesting: according to him, Vitinha has built peak physical condition without ever losing his touch, which makes him the metronome of Paris Saint-Germain and the Seleção. Barros emphasizes this constant activity that drives the team forward, this ability to choose the right shots, and his rare consistency: good day or bad, Vitinha remains a valuable asset.
He even believes that his only limitation is aerial duels, a minor detail in his position. Listening to Barros, one understands above all that Vitinha, 25, now plays in the category of those who can dream of the Ballon d’Or… and not just as a spectator. He proves through his consistency that he is a serious contender, and the football world is unanimous in its praise of the Portuguese player’s strengths. Now, he plays in a difficult position to hope for the highest individual awards. Midfielders are rarely chosen, even if Rodri and Luka Modric have shown the way.
