Vitinha 'priviliged' to finish behind Ousmane Dembele & Lamine Yamal in Ballon d'Or rankings and praises PSG co-star as 'truly' the world's best

Vitinha's career trajectory has been inspirational to say the least. The 25-year-old spent the 2020-21 season at Wolves, on loan from Porto. However, he made just 19 Premier League appearances as Wolves decided against making the loan permanent. Four years later, Vitinha has finished third in the Ballon d'Or rankings, behind winner and PSG team-mate Dembele and Barcelona's Yamal. 

Vitinha was one of the pillars of Luis Enrique's rampant PSG team. The club won its first-ever Champions League title, along with the Ligue 1, Coupe de France, and the Trophee des Champions trophies. Later, he helped Portugal lift the Nations League after beating Spain, with head coach Roberto Martinez even going so far as to say that the midfielder should be a deserving candidate for the Ballon d'Or.

Earlier this month, the former Porto man conceded that he was aiming "for a good place" in the rankings. His wish came true, as he expressed his delight over finishing third and seeing his team-mate Dembele take home the prestigious accolade.

"Third best in the world! I'm privileged! I'm fortunate to do what I love most every day, supported by a family I love and incredible friends," Vitinha wrote on social media. "Reaching this level is unbelievable. Congratulations to our dream team, [Monday] was the best of the year, and, without a doubt, congratulations to my friend Dembele, who is truly the best player in the world! Is it difficult to do better than this year? Yes. But I don't want to stop wanting more."

After losing 1-0 to Marseille on Monday, PSG will be aiming to return to winning ways when they welcome Auxerre at Parc des Princes on Saturday.