Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Neymar formed one of the most dangerous attacking combinations in recent soccer history at Paris Saint-Germain, yet their individual brilliance repeatedly failed to translate into collective European success. Now, with PSG finally having claimed the UEFA Champions League, squad star Vitinha has shed light on the key difference between that star-studded trio and the current crop of European champions.
The rationale behind assembling three of the world’s most expensive players was always to deliver Champions League glory, but across the two seasons the trio played together in 2021-22 and 2022-23, PSG failed to advance beyond the Round of 16 on both occasions. With all three since departed, a cohesive and tactically disciplined side built by Luis Enrique has delivered the trophy that Nasser Al-Khelaïfi’s project had long been chasing.
Speaking on the program Soltinhos pelo Mundo on Canal 11, Vitinha reflected warmly on sharing a locker room and a pitch with three of the most iconic forwards of the modern era: “It was a privilege to have shared a locker room and the pitch with them, to have learned from them. They really are players apart—they are extraterrestrials, they are stars, and they perceive things that we don’t.”
That admiration, however, came with a candid observation about where the arrangement fell short. “That doesn’t mean it’s always what’s best for the team. And that is what ended up happening. It’s very difficult when one, two, or three players don’t run or don’t help out on defense,” the midfielder stated.
Vitinha of Paris Saint-Germain lifts the UEFA Champions League.
Little has changed on that front for any of the three forwards since their time together in Paris. Messi and Neymar may be less relevant to the conversation given age and injury respectively, but Real Madrid have had to contend with the same issue from Mbappé this season. The reality is that, had the trio remained together, PSG’s defensive structure would have been carrying three significant voids from the front.
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“Today’s game is increasingly competitive. Even a team fighting against relegation knows how to organize and make life difficult for the opponent. That makes it very hard in modern football when one, two, or three players aren’t running,” Vitinha added.
High pressing: PSG’s signature during the last Champions League
PSG caught the soccer world off guard in the second half of the 2024-25 season, emerging as one of the most compelling and fearsome sides in Europe through a combination of relentless intensity and technical quality spread across every line of the pitch. The numbers back it up: João Neves led the entire Champions League in ground covered, logging an extraordinary 106.17 miles (170.87 km) throughout the competition.
Vitinha, widely regarded as the second-best player at PSG behind Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé, summed up what makes this incarnation of the club so different from its predecessor: “You see the wingers chasing down the fullbacks when they attack. You see Ousmane Dembélé and Gonçalo Ramos dropping back to defend in our own box and being the first ones to press high up the pitch.“
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