Vítor Machado Ferreira (born 13 February 2000), known as Vitinha (), is a Portuguese professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who plays as a

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

for Ligue 1 club

Paris Saint-Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris, Paris SG or simply PSG is a professional football club based in Paris, France. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. As Fr ...

and the Portugal national team. Coming through

Porto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...

's youth system, Vitinha impressed during his time with the reserve team before being promoted to the first-team in 2020, winning a domestic double of the Primeira Liga and the

Taça de Portugal The Taça de Portugal (; "Cup of Portugal") is an annual association football competition and the premier knockout tournament in Portuguese football. For sponsorship reasons, it has been known as Taça de Portugal Placard since the 2015–16 sea ...

in his first season. He was loaned to

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...

club

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...

in September 2020, before returning the following season. He established himself as an integral player for Porto winning a second domestic double, being named in the Primeira Liga Team of the Year and winning the Best Young Player of the Year award. In June 2022, he joined Paris Saint-Germain for a transfer worth €41.5 million. Vitinha is a former Portugal youth international, representing his country at various youth levels, being part of the under-19 and under-21 teams that finished as runners-up in the

2019 UEFA European Under-19 Championship The 2019 UEFA European Under-19 Championship (also known as UEFA Under-19 Euro 2019) was the 18th edition of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship (68th edition if the Under-18 and Junior eras are included), the annual international youth footba ...

and 2021 European Under-21 Championship, respectively. He made his senior international debut in 2022, representing Portugal at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Club career

Porto

2019–20: Early career

Vitinha was born in

Santo Tirso Santo Tirso () is a city and municipality located in the north of Porto Metropolitan Area, 25 km from central Porto, Portugal. In the region, the Ave Valley, there is a large center of textile industry. The population in 2011 was 71,530, in ...

. He started playing football at Desportivo das Aves, where his father formerly played for the club, aged 7, before moving to Pinheirinhos de Ringe, where he started to stand out alongside goalkeeper and future teammate

Diogo Costa Diogo Meireles da Costa (; born 19 September 1999) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Primeira Liga club Porto and the Portugal national team. Coming through Porto's youth system, Costa won the UEFA Youth League in ...

. After going through some training sessions with Benfica, he was integrated into one of Benfica's feeder club Póvoa de Lanhoso, where he stayed for three years, before being dismissed because of his slight frame. Despite

Sporting CP Sporting Clube de Portugal, founded Sporting Club de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP, often known abroad as Sporting Lisbon , is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Lisbon. It is best known for the professional foot ...

being interested in him, Vitinha ended up joining the youth ranks of FC Porto two years later, aged eleven, being subsquently loaned to Padroense for a season. He made his LigaPro debut for the reserve team on 11 August 2019 in a game against Sporting da Covilhã. He was also part of Porto's squad that won the 2018–19 UEFA Youth League. On 28 January 2020, Vitinha made his first appearance for the first team, coming on as a substitute for Wilson Manafá in the 61st minute in a match against

Gil Vicente Gil Vicente (; c. 1465c. 1536), called the Trobadour, was a Portuguese playwright and poet who acted in and directed his own plays. Considered the chief dramatist of Portugal he is sometimes called the "Portuguese Plautus," often ref ...

. He made a total of eight appearances as the club won the league title.

2020–21: Loan to Wolves

On 9 September 2020, Vitinha moved on a season-long

loan In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that ...

to English

club

. The club held an option to make the loan into permanent deal at its conclusion for a fee of €20 million, as Porto were forced to loan him due to

UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...

Financial Fair Play The UEFA Financial Fair Play Regulations (FFP) are a set of regulations established to prevent professional football clubs spending more than they earn in the pursuit of success, and in doing so not getting into financial problems which might t ...

regulations. He made his debut on 14 September away to

Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...

as a second-half substitute, and his first start three days later in a home EFL Cup defeat to Stoke City. Vitinha made his full Premier League debut away to Manchester United on 29 December 2020, a game which Wolves lost narrowly to a deflection in added time. On 22 January, he scored his first goal for the club with a 35-yard strike in a 1–0 away win over non-League team Chorley in the fourth round of the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

. At the end of the season, the club declined to exercise his buy option.

2021–22: Return and domestic double

Vitinha began the 2021–22 season on the bench, but following his impressive performances during the

2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship The 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship (also known as UEFA Under-21 Euro 2021) was the 23rd edition of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship (26th edition if the Under-23 era is also included), the biennial international youth football c ...

, he began finding more and more space as a starter, scoring his first goal for the club in a 3–0 away win against

Portimonense Portimonense Sporting Clube is a Portuguese sports club based in Portimão. Founded on 14 August 1914, it is most notable for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Primeira Liga, the top flight of Portuguese football. It al ...

on 3 December. On 23 December, Vitinha impressed during the 3–0 home over rivals Benfica in ''

O Clássico O Clássico ("The Classic") is the name given in football to matches between Portuguese clubs S.L. Benfica and FC Porto. Originally, the term ''O Clássico'' only referred to games played in the league, but now tends to include matches that tak ...

'' in the

, scoring and assisting a goal, as he was named man of match. Shortly after Sérgio Oliveira departed to Roma in January 2022, Vitinha further consolidated his place as starter, impressing Porto's manager

Sérgio Conceição Sérgio Paulo Marceneiro da Conceição (; born 15 November 1974) is a Portuguese professional football manager and former player who mostly played as a right winger. He is the current manager of Porto. Throughout his career, he played for ...

, with his performances without the ball and his pressing, being named the league's Player of the Month and Midfielder of the Month for two consecutive months in December and January, a feat which he repeated in March. He would contribute to 47 appearances, with a goal in the 3–1 defeat of

Tondela Tondela () is a municipality in the central Portuguese subregion of Dão-Lafões. The population in 2011 was 28,946, in an area of 371.22 km². History Local writer and intellectual Amadeu Ferraz de Carvalho (1876–1951) wrote of the mun ...

in the domestic cup final, to help Porto win the domestic double of the Primeira Liga and the

, while also being named in the Primeira Liga Team of the Year and the Primeira Liga Best Young Player of the Year.

Paris Saint-Germain

On 30 June 2022, Vitinha signed a five-year contract with Ligue 1 side

(PSG), for a reported fee of €41.5 million, after triggering the release clause of his contract. He made his debut for the club on 31 July, starting in PSG's 4–0 victory over Nantes in the

Trophée des Champions The Trophée des Champions (, ) is a French association football trophy contested in an annual match between the champions of Ligue 1 and the winners of the Coupe de France. It is equivalent to the super cups found in many other countries. His ...

, registering a 100% passing rate, completing 43 out of his 43 passes, while also being booked in the match and winning his first trophy with the club. Afterwards, his performances throughout the season were highly lauded, and he received various praises on the central midfield combination of him and

Marco Verratti Marco Verratti (; born 5 November 1992) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Italy national team. He is often considered as one of the best midfielders in the wor ...

and for his quick adaption into his new team, despite fierce competition from more experienced players like Carlos Soler, Renato Sanches and Fabián Ruiz.

International career

Youth

Having played at various youth levels for Portugal, Vitinha was named captain for the under-19 squad at the

in Armenia, playing all five matches, scoring twice and assisting once as the team finished runners-up to

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. Vitinha was named in the under-21 squad for the

. He was named for the team of the tournament as Portugal finished as runners-up after losing in the final 1–0 to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, on 6 June 2021.

Senior

On 21 March 2022, Vitinha received his first call-up to the senior squad for the 2022 World Cup qualification play-offs, as a replacement for the injured

Rúben Neves Rúben Diogo da Silva Neves (; born 13 March 1997) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Portugal national team and is the captain of Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers. Formed at Porto, where he m ...

. Eight days later at his club ground, he made his senior national team debut, replacing

João Moutinho João Filipe Iria Santos Moutinho (; born 8 September 1986) is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers and the Portugal national team. Moutinho began his professional career ...

in added time in a 2–0 victory over

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...

in the play-off final. In October, he was named in Portugal's preliminary 55-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, being included in the final 26-man squad for the tournament.

Style of play

Vitinha is a highly creative and technically gifted playmaker, with excellent

dribbling In sports, dribbling is maneuvering a ball by one player while moving in a given direction, avoiding defenders' attempts to intercept the ball. A successful dribble will bring the ball past defenders legally and create opportunities to score. A ...

skills and ball control, which allows him to operate effectively in a deep-seated playmaking role as a

central midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

, although he is also capable of playing in a more advanced role as an

attacking midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

. He is a

who enjoys taking the ball off the toe of his centre-back before distributing to a teammate near or far, but always with forward momentum in mind. His skill and quick control make it almost impossible for the opposition press to work when he is in possession. He is really good at progressing the ball and has the ability to get the ball into dangerous locations with his passes and is extremely quick with his feet and is good at evading players. He excels in counter-pressing, recovering and tackling. He is very quick-witted when it comes to creating counter-attacks right after winning the ball. Off the ball, he tries to prevent the opposition’s attacks, and when he is on the ball, he helps his side in retaining the ball as he has excellent on-the-ball composure. He is also very good at reading the game and intercepting the ball, when it comes to winning the ball back he knows when to strategically foul the opponent in order to slow down an attack.

Personal life

Vitinha's father is Vítor Manuel, a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder for several clubs including his hometown's Desportivo das Aves for several years and Faro's Farense from 1999 to 2001. Vitinha and his wife Tatiana Torres have a daughter born in 2021, named Mafalda Ferreira.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Porto Youth *

UEFA Youth League The UEFA Youth League is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) since 2013. In its current format, it is contested by the youth teams of the clubs competing in the UEFA Champions League ...

: 2018–19 Porto * Primeira Liga: 2019–20, 2021–22 *

: 2019–20, 2021–22 Paris Saint-Germain *

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

Portugal U19 *

UEFA European Under-19 Championship The UEFA European Under-19 Championship, or simply UEFA Under-19 Championship or the UEFA Euro U-19, is an annual football competition contested by the European men's under-19 national teams of the member associations of UEFA. Spain and England ...

runner-up:

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

Portugal U21 *

UEFA European Under-21 Championship The UEFA European Under-21 Championship, the UEFA Under-21 Championship or simply the Euro Under-21, is a biennial football competition contested by the European men's under-21 national teams of the UEFA member associations. Since 1992, the comp ...

runner-up:

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

Individual * Primeira Liga Best Young Player of the Year: 2021–22 *Primeira Liga Player of the Month:

December 2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

, January 2022 *Primeira Liga Midfielder of the Month: December 2021, January 2022, March 2022 *Primeira Liga Team of the Year: 2021–22 *

Toulon Tournament The Toulon Tournament (officially the Festival International "Espoirs" – Tournoi Maurice Revello) is a football (training match) tournament, which traditionally features invited national teams composed of youth players from U-17 to U-23 level. ...

Breakthrough player:

Best XI:

Team of the Tournament:

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vitinha 2000 births Living people People from Santo Tirso Sportspeople from Porto District Portuguese footballers Association football midfielders FC Porto B players FC Porto players Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. players Paris Saint-Germain F.C. players Liga Portugal 2 players Primeira Liga players Premier League players Ligue 1 players Portuguese expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate footballers in France Portuguese expatriate sportspeople in England Portuguese expatriate sportspeople in France 2022 FIFA World Cup players