PSG star aiming for 'good place' in Ballon d'Or race with Lamine Yamal & Ousmane Dembele after 'dream season'

PSG midfielder Vitinha reflected on his “dream season” and admitted he is targeting a strong finish in the Ballon d’Or race after being nominated for the prestigious award. The Portuguese international enjoyed a stellar campaign in 2023-24, helping PSG to a historic quadruple as they claimed the Ligue 1, Champions League, Coupe de France and Trophee des Champions titles, while also adding a UEFA Nations League winner's medal to his collection with Portugal. Speaking ahead of Portugal’s 2026 World Cup qualifier against Armenia, the 25-year-old insisted he will “aim for a good place” in the rankings.

Reflecting on his standout year at PSG, Vitinha described the 2023-24 campaign, underlining both his satisfaction and ambition to keep improving: "I see it as excellent. It was a dream season. I'll certainly remember it. I hope it's not the best, that there's better to come. It was an almost perfect season. I felt good. It's true that I'm among the nominees and I feel like I can aim for a good place. As far ahead as possible, for me, is great."

The midfielder then shifted focus to his international duty, stressing that Portugal’s success brings added weight of expectation, particularly ahead of the upcoming World Cup qualifier against Armenia: "We have a different responsibility. When we win, expectations are higher, and it's up to us to live up to them. We want to show that against Armenia and achieve an important victory."

Vitinha’s candid words come at a time when the Ballon d’Or conversation is dominated by younger stars like Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal, who provided a host of goals and assists to help deliver a domestic treble, and PSG teammate Ousmane Dembele, who thrived in a false-nine role and fired in 33 goals across competitions. Kylian Mbappe is also in the mix after another prolific year, but PSG’s collective triumphs have shone the spotlight on Vitinha’s consistency and adaptability. His emergence in the Ballon d’Or race underlines how midfielders are starting to reclaim relevance in an award long skewed toward goal scorers

The Ballon d’Or ceremony will be held on 22 September, with Vitinha facing stiff competition from Yamal, who dazzled in Barcelona’s treble-winning season, and Dembele, who finally found consistency at PSG with a career-best campaign. While Vitinha may not yet be the frontrunner, his rise into the Ballon d’Or conversation at just 24 shows his growing importance at PSG and for Portugal.