Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories PSG's Vitinha has become a key player since joining the club in the summer of 2022.Alamy Stock Photo UNSUNG HERO Once rejected by Wolves, he's now the 'heartbeat' of the best team in Europe Vitinha has been a revelation since signing for PSG. 12.02am, 10 Apr 2025 Share options Paul Fennessy THE LEGENDARY Hollywood screenwriter William Goldman once famously proclaimed: “Nobody knows anything.” He was referring to the movie industry’s uncertainty over whether or not a film in production would become a hit. At best, he explained, it was an “educated” guess. This logic could also be applied to young footballers. After Lionel Messi’s rise to superstardom, there was a rush to identify ‘the next Messi’. Last year, the website Give Me Sport devoted an article to 21 players tipped to follow in the World Cup winner’s footsteps. While Mo Salah and Martin Odegaard haven’t done too badly, the majority given this label tended to get nowhere near achieving the same heights as the Argentina star. This week’s Champions League action was a reminder that it also works the other way around. Players who are written off prematurely often exceed expectations and prove the doubters wrong. PSG are widely regarded as the most impressive team in Europe right now. Vitinha represents much of what is best about the French side. After the superstar era of Messsi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, the club have gone a different route. The 25-year-old midfielder was singled out by Luis Enrique as the club’s best player last season. Advertisement He was also pivotal to their hugely impressive two-legged victory over Liverpool, completing 103 out of 111 passes at Anfield. There was big pressure on Vitinha to step up as club legend Marco Verratti left for Saudi Arabia after more than 10 years elegantly gracing the club’s midfield. Yet, the Portugal international has been a revelation, proving a worthy successor to the Italian. While Désiré Doué, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Nuno Mendes will grab the headlines for spectacular goals in the convincing win over Aston Villa, Vitinha was equally important as he helped the hosts control midfield and ultimately wear down their diligent Premier League opponents. In this context, it’s amazing to consider that a 20-year-old Vitinha had an indifferent loan spell at Wolves during the 2020-21 campaign. The Portuguese star played in exactly half, 19, of their Premier League games that season. The majority of these appearances were late cameos, as the youngster only started five top-flight matches. At the end of the season, Wolves had the option to buy Vitinha for £17 million, as they needed a long-term replacement for the ageing João Moutinho. Ultimately, they decided it was not worth the risk signing a youngster who had not shown enough during his season at the club, who finished 13th in their third season back in the Premier League following promotion from the Championship. It’s safe to assume the club’s hierarchy regret that decision now. One year after leaving Wolves, following an impressive campaign back at parent club Porto, PSG triggered a release clause in Vitinha’s contract and signed the player for €41.5 million. He has gone from strength to strength ever since. Tonight, TNT Sports described him as the “heartbeat” of a PSG side who many pundits are tipping for glory in the Champions League this year. West Bromwich Albion's Conor Gallagher (left) and Wolverhampton Wanderers' Vitinha (right) battle for the ball during a Premier League match at The Hawthorns.Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Yet Vitinha’s story is not uncommon. On the contrary, it has increasingly become the norm. There is so much money involved in top-level football nowadays that big clubs tend to be risk-averse. Instead of having patience with a promising youngster, they will immediately want the finished product. You could see it everywhere in the Champions League this week. Declan Rice, the hero of Arsenal’s sensational win over Real Madrid, was let go by Chelsea as a youngster. Harry Kane, who lined out for Bayern against Inter this week and is widely regarded as one of the world’s best strikers, was discarded by the Gunners and later had a couple of underwhelming loan spells before eventually making the breakthrough at Tottenham. Morgan Rogers, who opened the scoring for Villa tonight, was deemed not good enough to make the grade at Man City. Marcus Rashford, who led the line for the Premier League outfit in Paris this evening, was virtually persona non grata at Man United only a couple of months back, so eager were the Red Devils to offload him. Even an apparent overnight success like 19-year-old Doué, who tormented Villa tonight, has had setbacks. It’s two years to the day since the then-Rennes player was humiliated by manager Bruno Génésio, substituting the teenager 18 minutes after bringing him on. Last August, PSG paid €50 million for his services and it is looking like a wise investment. Although he is a very different type of player, Vitinha now looks good enough to be regarded similarly to Mo Salah and Kevin De Bruyne — two other individuals who initially failed to make the grade in the Premier League, at Chelsea — before proving their world-class credentials elsewhere. It’s also a reminder that talent alone is not enough for footballers — a thick skin to overcome inevitable bumps along the way is equally vital. Failing, at a certain point, is becoming a virtual rite of passage for almost anyone who’s anyone. Nobody knows anything. Paul Fennessy Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Once rejected by Wolves, he's now the 'heartbeat' of the best team in Europe”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Once rejected by Wolves, he's now the 'heartbeat' of the best team in Europe”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. 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