Vitinha

Vitor Machado Ferreira is better known to football fans in Portugal and England as Vitinha. A hugely talented midfielder, he is currently on loan to Wolverhampton Wanderers and an established member of the Portuguese U-21 squad. At the 2019 Toulon Tournament, he played for Portugal’s U-19 side. They didn’t win, but Vitinha was awarded the Breakthrough Player Award.

Vitinha was born in February 2000 in Povoa de Lanhoso. He joined the local football club as a schoolboy, aged 8, and was signed by FC Porto’s youth academy three years later. He worked his way up through their ranks and turned professional in August 2019, making his debut for Porto B in the Secunda Liga. Four months later, he made his first-team debut and would feature in a further eight games as Porto won their 29th Primeira Liga title. Before the start of the 2020-21 season, Vitinha was loaned to Wolverhampton Wanderers for a season, with the option to buy. Wolves have been enjoying a renaissance over the last few years, largely fuelled by Portuguese talent brought in by their manager, former Porto boss Nuno Espirito Santo. In that sense, Vitinha has moved to a home-from-home and will look to thrive in what is regarded as the greatest domestic football league in the world.

Vitinha’s international future looks equally bright. He has won over 30 caps for his country at youth level, and he was a part of the team that finished runner-up at the 2019 U-21 European Championships. With Euro 2020 now taking place in 2021, Vitinha will be looking to be part of the defending champions’ squad.