Vitinha: PSG's hat trick Hero is ready to take on Monaco
Having scored a hat-trick on Wednesday against Tottenham, Parisian Vitinha led the European champions to victory against Tottenham (5-3), sparking a comeback and delivering a high-quality performance. Here's a closer look at his historic achievement ahead of PSG's trip to face AS Monaco in Ligue 1 McDonald's today.
An historic treble
Until Wednesday, the three Parisian midfielders -- Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz, and Joao Neves -- had played very little together this season in the Champions League (only against Atalanta in September) and even in Ligue 1 McDonald's (against Lyon in November). But everything changes when this trio, who made their mark on Europe last season with their power and dominance in midfield, are fielded as a unit.
They were the ones who sparked the comeback on Wednesday night, proving far more creative and effective than the Parisian forwards Bradley Barcola and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who are still searching for their best form. And among this trio, Vitinha, who finished third in the last Ballon d'Or behind Ousmane Dembélé and Lamine Yamal, was a revelation, bringing PSG back into the game twice before scoring the final goal from the penalty spot (5-3).
At 25, he was the linchpin on Wednesday, scoring his first career hat-trick. After opening the scoring, he equalized for the first time, finding the top corner with a magnificent first-time shot with his right foot. His second equalizer of the match was equally impressive. After shifting the ball onto his left foot, he perfectly curled his shot past Guglielmo Vicario. To cap it all off, he secured a fifth goal for PSG, calmly converting a penalty with a more conventional run-up than usual. He had, in fact, won the penalty himself (his shot was deflected by Cristian Romero's hand). He was then able to leave the pitch to a standing ovation from the Parc des Princes crowd a few moments later.
With this performance, the diminutive Portuguese player became the 15th player to score a hat trick or more for a French club in the Champions League (since 1993) and the 7th Parisian after Raí, Zlatan Ibrahimovic (one four-goal haul), Layvin Kurzawa, Neymar (twice), Kylian Mbappé (twice), and Ousmane Dembélé. It's worth noting that the last eight have all been achieved by PSG players.
First career hat-trick for Vitinha ⭐🇵🇹 pic.twitter.com/thlOi6JLdP
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) November 26, 2025
“Maintain this level”
“I need to continue in this leadership role. As vice-captain, I try to control the game, talk with my teammates, and feel like one of the leaders. I have a lot of room for improvement,” the former Porto player explained at the beginning of the month. In addition to his impressive distribution, the Parisian has lately distinguished himself with his clinical finishing, having been involved in twelve goals (five goals, seven assists) for the capital side since the beginning of the season..
“I feel good, I have to keep going like this. It’s not easy to maintain this level; that’s my biggest challenge, to maintain my level and remain as consistent as possible,” the Portuguese player responded, adding, “The best is yet to come.” His misplaced pass in front of the Parisian penalty area led to Randal Kolo Muani’s second goal, but no one will hold it against him given his performance, which is reminiscent of PSG’s European campaign in the spring of 2025. “He was sensational, we’re very happy he’s here,” said Luis Enrique, who warmly congratulated him as he left the pitch.
“He shows us how important he is. I saw him arrive and grow into this team. Now he’s the one who controls our game, our midfield maestro, setting the tempo from one side to the other,” commented Marquinhos. “I think the coach loves this player, he’s always on the pitch, sometimes we tell him he needs to rest (laughs), he’s a player who loves football and gives his all. Sometimes in training, the coach has to tell him to stop playing and rest,” he continued, “he’s one of the best midfielders in the world.”
“We played against a good team, with a Ballon d’Or winner (Ousmane Dembélé) and maybe the next one… Vitinha, wow, what a player,” said Spurs coach Thomas Frank. As to what he'll for an encore, be sure to follow tonight's match to find out!
