While his fellow contenders for the Ballon d’Or can point to statistics to support their cause, Vitinha doesn’t quite have that luxury.
Sure, he didn’t dip below a 93 percent pass completion percentage in the Champions League, Ligue 1, or Club World Cup, according to , and he did score a hat-trick against Tottenham Hotspur in the League Phase of Europe’s premier club competition. However, the former doesn’t really get the pulses racing for the average Ballon d’Or voter, while the latter came against a truly woeful team.
Really, it’s visual evidence that will justify his case. Thankfully for the Portuguese, he was absolutely stunning to watch once again.
Even when surrounded by four or five opponents, the 26-year-old can somehow wriggle free while the ball barely leaves his toes. When given time and space, he assesses all his options in the space of a few seconds before picking the absolutely perfect pass.
He can track runners, intercept danger, and dictate a game’s tempo with calm and composure, barely looking like he’s put in any physical effort at all.
Back-to-back Champions League titles help his cause, and he could yet go on a deep run with Portugal in North America. But he’ll need to do something truly spectacular to be a real contender.
