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 lea ...

who plays as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for

Ligue 1 Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...

club

Paris Saint-Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain () or simply PSG, is a French professional Association football, football club based in Paris. They compete in Ligue 1, the French football league system, top d ...

and the Portugal national team. He is known for his dribbling, passing, and ball control. Coming through

Porto Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...

's youth system, Vitinha was promoted to the first-team in 2020. He was loaned to

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

club

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...

in September 2020, before returning the following season. He established himself as an integral player for Porto winning a

domestic double The Double, in association football, is the achievement of winning a country's top tier division and its primary domestic cup competition in the same season. The lists in this article examine this definition of a double, while derivative sectio ...

, being named the league's Best Young Player of the Year. In June 2022, he joined Paris Saint-Germain. In 2024–25, Vitinha was a prominent player as the club attained a

continental treble A treble in association football is achieved when a club team wins three trophies in a single season. A continental treble involves winning the club's top-level domestic league competition, main domestic cup competition, and main continental tro ...

, including their first-ever

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

title. 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 associ ...

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

2022 FIFA World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...

and

UEFA Euro 2024 The 2024 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2024 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2024) or simply Euro 2024, was the 17th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international Association football, football champ ...

. He won the

UEFA Nations League The UEFA Nations League is an international European football competition played by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of UEFA, the sport's European governing body. The competition was devised to minimise friendlies a ...

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

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 2021 was 67,709, in ...

Porto District The Districts of Portugal, District of Porto ( ) is located on the north-west coast of Portugal. The district capital is the city of Porto, the second largest city in the country. It is bordered by the Aveiro (district), Aveiro and Viseu (distric ...

. He started playing football at

Desportivo das Aves Clube Desportivo das Aves (), commonly known as Desportivo das Aves, or simply as Aves, was a Portuguese football club based in Vila das Aves, Santo Tirso. The club was founded on 12 November 1930 and plays at the Estádio do Clube Desportivo ...

, 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 Portugese professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Primeira Liga club Porto, which he captains. Born in Switzerland, he plays for the Portugal national team. He is consider ...

. 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 (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP or simply Sporting (particularly within Portugal), or as Sporting Lisbon in other countries,

being interested in him, Vitinha ended up joining the youth ranks of

FC Porto Futebol Clube do Porto, Order of Prince Henry, MHIH, Order of Merit (Portugal), OM (), commonly known as FC Porto or simply Porto, is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Porto. It is best known for the professional association footbal ...

two years later, aged eleven, being subsequently loaned to

Padroense Padroense Futebol Clube is a Portuguese football club that competes in the Portuguese Second Division. They were founded in 1922. History The first field of Padroense F.C. was the "Saibreira" before moving to the "stray field" (what is now High ...

for a season. He made his

LigaPro The Liga Portugal 2 (), also known as Liga Portugal Meu Super for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division of the Portuguese football league system. At the end of each season, the two top-finishing teams are promoted to the top-tier ...

debut for the reserve team on 11 August 2019 in a game against

Sporting da Covilhã Sporting may refer to: *Sport, recreational games and play *Sporting (neighborhood), in Alexandria, Egypt Sports clubs *Alexandria Sporting Club, a sports club from Alexandria, Egypt * BFA Sporting, a football club from Beirut, Lebanon *Real Sport ...

. He was also part of Porto's squad that won the

2018–19 UEFA Youth League The 2018–19 UEFA Youth League was the sixth season of the UEFA Youth League, a European youth club football competition organised by UEFA. The final was played on 29 April 2019 at the Colovray Stadium in Nyon, Switzerland, between English sid ...

. On 28 January 2020, Vitinha made his first appearance for the first team, coming on as a substitute for

Wilson Manafá Wilson Migueis Manafá Jancó (born 23 July 1994), known as Manafá, is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a full-back or a winger for Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenhua. After making his Primeira Liga debut for Portim ...

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 refe ...

. 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 tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...

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 The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...

's Financial Fair Play regulations. He made his debut on 14 September away to

Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...

as a second-half substitute, and his first start three days later in a home

EFL Cup The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England. Orga ...

defeat to

Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, the cl ...

. Vitinha made his full Premier League debut away to

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

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 Chorley is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Chorley in Lancashire, England, north of Wigan, south west of Blackburn, north west of Bolton, south of Preston and north west of Manchester. The town's wealth ca ...

in the fourth round of the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

. 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 Association ...

, 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 Liga Portugal 2, the second division of Portuguese football ...

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

O Clássico O Clássico () is the name given in Association football, football to matches between Portuguese clubs S.L. Benfica and FC Porto. Originally, the term ''O Clássico'' only referred to games played in the Primeira Liga, league, but now tends to in ...

'' in the

Taça de Portugal The Taça de 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 Generali Tranquilidade since the 2024–25 seaso ...

, scoring and assisting a goal, as he was named man of match. Shortly after

Sérgio Oliveira Sérgio Miguel Relvas de Oliveira (born 2 June 1992) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Sport Recife. He spent the better part of his career with Porto after maki ...

departed to

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: People, characters, figures, names * Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas. * Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun * Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...

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. Throughout his career, he played for ten teams in five countries. After gain ...

, 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. Vitinha would contribute to 47 appearances, with a goal in the 3–1 defeat of

Tondela Tondela () is a concelho, municipality in the Centro, Portugal, central Portugal, 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 Carv ...

in the domestic cup final, to help Porto win the

of the

Primeira Liga The Primeira Liga (), also known as Liga Portugal Betclic for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Portugal and the highest level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the 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

2022–23: Adaptation to France

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

side

(PSG), for a fee of €41.5 million, after triggering the

release clause A buyout clause or release clause refers to a clause in an employment contract. It allows the employee to terminate the contract unilaterally upon payment of a specified (usually substantial) fee to the employer. The fee may be paid by the employ ...

of his contract. Vitinha made his debut for the club on 31 July, starting in PSG's 4–0 victory over

Nantes Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...

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 cup, super cups found in many other count ...

, 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. Brought in as a signing for the future, Vitinha was seen as a player that could grow and develop during his tenure with the club and quickly his performances throughout the start of the season were highly lauded, receiving various praises for the central midfield combination of him and

Marco Verratti Marco Verratti (; born 5 November 1992) is an Italian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Qatar Stars League club Al-Arabi SC (Qatar), Al-Arabi. A technically gifted playmaker, Verratti began his ...

and his quick adaption into his new team, despite fierce competition from more experienced players like

Carlos Soler Carlos Soler Barragán (born 2 January 1997) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain. Soler began his professional career at Valencia, making 226 appearances, scoring 36 goals and win ...

Renato Sanches Renato Júnior Luz Sanches (; born 18 August 1997) is a Portuguese professional Association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder for Primeira Liga club S.L. Benfica, Benfica, on loan from Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain F.C., Paris ...

and

Fabián Ruiz Fabián Ruiz Peña (; born 3 April 1996), also known simply as Fabián, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for club Paris Saint-Germain and the Spain national team. Club career Real Betis Early years Born i ...

. However, the following months, proved to be difficult for him, due to having a complicated relationship with fellow team-mate

Lionel Messi Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi (; born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional Association football, footballer who plays as a forward (association football), forward for and Captain (association football), captains both Major League Soccer ...

and those close to him in the team, after a reported training ground bust-up between them. He was reportedly the target of

Neymar Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (; born 5 February 1992), also known as Neymar Júnior or simply Neymar, is a Brazilian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a left winger, attacking midfielder or Forward (association foo ...

's outburst after a 3–1 loss to

Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...

on 11 February 2023, who complained that the squad had been significantly weakened with the arrival of players such as Vitinha. Those incidents took a toll on him and his performances declined on the second half of the season, to the point where he lost his starting spot. He scored his first goal for PSG, a long-range strike in a 3–1 home victory over

Lens A lens is a transmissive optical device that focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements'') ...

on 15 April. During the season, he was a key contributor to his team's record 11th

title, despite his irregular form.

2023–24: Domestic treble and breakthrough

The following season, despite the ire and consternations of the senior players, PSG kept their belief in Vitinha and after the departures of Messi and Neymar, his performances improved, gaining fully the trust of new manager

Luis Enrique Luis Enrique Martínez García (; born 8 May 1970), known as Luis Enrique, is a Spanish football manager and former player. He is the manager of Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain. A versatile player with good technique, he was capable of playin ...

, with his attacking style being put to good use in his system. He also became a popular figure in the dressing room, with his grasp of multiple languages, making him a positive influence that helped unite various factions within the club. He was named man of the match in PSG's 2–0 win over

Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, often known simply as Borussia Dortmund () or by its initialism BVB (), or just Dortmund by International fans, is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is ...

on matchday one of the group stage of the

2023–24 UEFA Champions League The 2023–24 UEFA Champions League was the 69th season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 32nd season since it was renamed from the European Champion Clubs' Cup to the UEFA Champions League. Real Madrid CF ...

on 19 September. On 20 December, he scored his fifth league goal of the season, PSG's first in a 3–1 home victory over

Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...

, while also maintaining a 90% pass completion rate despite being assigned to a deeper midfield role. On 10 April 2024, Vitinha scored his first Champions League goal in a 3–2 home defeat to

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

in the quarter-finals. He scored another goal against Barcelona in the second leg six days later, helping PSG to a 4–1 victory and qualification to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, PSG was knocked out by Borussia Dortmund, after losing 2–0 on aggregate. Despite the defeat, Vitinha received praise for his performances over both legs, with critics arguing that he was "let down by his teammates". After helping PSG win a

domestic treble A treble in association football is achieved when a club team wins three trophies in a single season. A continental treble involves winning the club's top-level domestic league competition, main domestic cup competition, and main continental tro ...

with record-extending successes in Ligue 1, the

Coupe de France The Coupe de France (), also known in English language, English as the French Cup or less commonly as the France Cup, is the premier Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in French football organised by the French Football Fed ...

, and the

, he achieved his most prolific season, finishing the campaign with 14 goal involvements (9 goals and five assists), leading Enrique to credit Vitinha as the club's player of the season. His performances throughout the season also saw him being included in Ligue 1's Team of the Year and the Champions League team of the tournament.

2024–25: Continental treble

FC Salzburg gegen Paris Saint-Germain UEFA Champions League 64

On 22 August, Vitinha was elected by manager Luis Enrique as one of the club's vice-captains, due to his status within the team. He also chose him as the club's main penalty-taker, despite some of his teammates not being pleased with the decision, leading him to rotate with

Ousmane Dembélé Masour Ousmane Dembélé (; born 15 May 1997) is a French professional footballer who plays as a striker or winger for club Paris Saint-Germain and the France national team. Considered one of the best players in the world, he is known for ...

on penalty duties. On 1 September, Vitinha opened the scoring from the penalty spot, netting his first goal of the season in a 3–1 away win over

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

. On 9 February 2025, he extended his contract with the club until 2029. Ten days later, in the second leg of the Champions League knockout phase play-offs, Vitinha got on the scoresheet in a 7–0 win over fellow Ligue 1 side Brest, scoring PSG's third goal, and helping his side secure a 10–0 aggregate victory to advance to the Champions League round of 16. On 29 April, he was named man of the match in PSG's 1–0 away win over

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

in the Champions League semi-finals first leg. In the second leg, despite missing a penalty, PSG advanced to their second Champions League final, following a 2–1 home victory. Having helped PSG secure their 13th Ligue 1 title, he was one of the nominees for the

Ligue 1 Player of the Year The UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year is an official Trophées UNFP du football, award given by the Union Nationale des Footballeurs Professionnels (UNFP) to the Ligue 1 player whose performances are considered to be the best of the season. The ...

, and was included in the Ligue 1 Team of the Season. On 31 May, he created PSG's first goal and provided an assist to Desire Doué's second goal in the Champions League final against

Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football ...

, which PSG won 5–0, securing their first ever Champions League trophy and completing a

. Additionally, his performances throughout the season also saw him being included in the Champions League team of the tournament.

International career

Youth

Having played at various youth levels for Portugal, Vitinha was named

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

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 Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. 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 lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, 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. 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 Primeira Liga club Braga. Moutinho began his professional career with Sporting CP, moving in 2010 to Porto and winnin ...

in added time in a 2–0 victory over

North Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...

in the play-off final. In October, he was named in Portugal's preliminary 55-man

squad In military terminology, a squad is among the smallest of Military organization, military organizations and is led by a non-commissioned officer. NATO and United States, U.S. doctrine define a squad as an organization "larger than a fireteam, ...

for the

in Qatar, being included in the final 26-man squad for the tournament. He only started in the 2–1 loss to

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

in Portugal's final group stage match, and appeared off the bench in two knockout-phase matches, in an eventual quarter-final exit. On 21 May 2024, he was selected in the 26-man squad for the

. In the opening match against the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

, on 18 June, after being one goal down, Vitinha created Robin Hranáč's

own goal An own goal occurs in sports when a player performs actions that result in scoring points for the opposition, such as when a Association football, footballer puts a ball into their own net. In some parts of the world, the term has become a met ...

, following a cross to Nuno Mendes at the back post, in a 2–1 comeback victory for Portugal, being awarded player of the match. His performances earned him a spot in the starting eleven, despite fierce competition from teammates

Bernardo Silva Bernardo Mota Veiga de Carvalho e Silva (; born 10 August 1994) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or right winger for club Manchester City, whom he captains, and the Portugal national team. Silva came throug ...

and

Bruno Fernandes Bruno Miguel Borges Fernandes (; born 8 September 1994) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Manchester United, which he captains, and the Portugal national team. Fernandes started his career at Italia ...

, leading him to start in Portugal's 3–0 win against

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

on 22 June, helping his country secure qualification to the

knockout phase A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...

. He made his third appearance of the tournament in Portugal's

round of 16 A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...

match against

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

and played 65 minutes before being substituted for

Diogo Jota Diogo José Teixeira da Silva (born 4 December 1996), known as Diogo Jota, is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward or left winger for club Liverpool and the Portugal national team. Jota is known for his clinical finis ...

as Portugal won 3–0 in a

penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...

. Portugal were eliminated in the quarter-finals to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

after losing 5–3 in another penalty shootout. In May 2025, Vitinha was selected for Portugal’s

2025 UEFA Nations League Finals The 2025 UEFA Nations League Finals was the final tournament of the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League, 2024–25 edition of the UEFA Nations League, the fourth season of the international Association football, football competition involving the men ...

. He and his team would go on to win the tournament 5–3 in a penalty shootout over rivals

, converting Portugal's second penalty in the shoot-out.

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. As ...

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

central midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

, although he is also capable of playing in a more

advanced The Advanced Party (), otherwise known as the Advanced Association () was a liberal and centrist Zionist political association in Mandatory Palestine founded by several urban liberal Zionists. The party was founded in order to represent the voice ...

role as an

attacking midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

. He is a central midfielder 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 excels at progressing the ball and has the ability to get the ball into dangerous locations with his passes and counter-pressing, recovering and tackling. 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. According to his manager

at Paris Saint-Germain, he is capable of varying his game and playing in multiple positions, namely on both sides of the midfield or even in the wide areas, as a winger.

Personal life

Vitinha's father is Vítor Manuel, a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder for several clubs including his hometown's

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 under-19 teams of the clubs competing in the UEFA Champions Le ...

: 2018–19 Porto *

: 2019–20, 2021–22 *

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

2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

, 2023–24, 2024–25 *

: 2023–24, 2024–25 *

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

: 2024–25 Portugal U19 *

UEFA European Under-19 Championship The UEFA European Under-19 Championship, or simply the Euro Under-19, is an annual football competition, contested by the European men's under-19 national teams of the UEFA member associations. Spain is the most successful team in this competit ...

runner-up:

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

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 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

Portugal *

: 2024–25 Individual *Primeira Liga Young Player of the Year: 2021–22 *Primeira Liga Player of the Month: December 2021, January 2022, March 2022 *Primeira Liga Team of the Year: 2021–22 * UNFP Ligue 1

Team of the Year Team of the Year may refer to: * BBC Sports Personality of the Year Team Award * Canadian Press Team of the Year Award *GPA Gaelic Team of the Year * IRB International Sevens Team of the Year * IRB International Team of the Year * J.League Team of ...

: 2023–24, 2024–25 *UEFA Champions League Team of the Season: 2023–24, 2024–25 *

Toulon Tournament The Maurice Revello Tournament (officially French: the ''Festival International "Espoirs" – Tournoi Maurice Revello''), previously known as the Toulon Tournament, is a Association football, football tournament, which traditionally features invit ...

Breakthrough player:

*Toulon Tournament Best XI:

*UEFA European Under-21 Championship Team of the Tournament:

* ''The Athletic'' Ligue 1 Team of the Season: 2023–24 * ''The Athletic'' European Men's Team of the Season: 2024–25

References

External links

Vitinha
at the Paris Saint-Germain F.C. website * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vitinha 2000 births Living people Footballers from Santo Tirso Portuguese men's footballers Men's association football midfielders FC Porto B players FC Porto players Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. players Paris Saint-Germain FC players Liga Portugal 2 players Primeira Liga players Premier League players Ligue 1 players 2022 FIFA World Cup players UEFA Euro 2024 players UEFA Champions League–winning players UEFA Nations League–winning players Portuguese expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in England Expatriate men's footballers in France Portuguese expatriate sportspeople in England Portuguese expatriate sportspeople in France 21st-century Portuguese sportsmen