A former Wolves player is in the Champions League final as Vitinha booked his trip to Munich with Paris Saint-Germain.
Vitinha was on loan at Wolves for the 2020/21 campaign, playing under Nuno Espirito Santo in the former manager’s final season at Molineux.
Nuno was aware that competition at Wolves punished Vitinha, who returned to Porto after his loan, as the Old Gold opted against signing him.
It was a case of the right person, wrong time for the Portugal international in the Premier League, as Vitinha has blossomed into one of Europe’s best midfielders.
Martin Keown impressed by ‘incredible’ Vitinha
Now in the Champions League final, fans will be wondering how the Old Gold ever passed on the option to sign the midfield maestro for just £17m at the time of his loan ending.
Rio Ferdinand laughed at Wolves’ snub of Vitinha, and he’s not the only pundit to have commented on the heights the 25-year-old has reached since departing.
Speaking on TNT Sports’ coverage of PSG’s Champions League semi-final second-leg clash against Arsenal, Martin Keown noted how the midfielder’s role has changed.
“Incredible to think that he played as a 10, he was at Wolves, and the way he’s adapted into this midfielder, he sits quite deep,” the Arsenal icon said.
From the outside looking in, Wolves missing out on Vitinha was a tragedy, however, the reality was that at the time of his spell at Molineux, the Portuguese gem had little chance of rising up the pecking order.
A midfield pivot of Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves left Vitinha with no claim to the starting XI, despite showing glimpses of his quality.
What Nuno Espirito Santo said about Vitinha at Wolves
Wolves passed on the option to sign Vitinha, after being left unconvinced by what the Porto academy product could offer to the first team.
That being said, the midfielder’s ability was evident from day one, as Nuno explained when speaking about the former loanee during that season.
“He’s a young player, but full of talent and quality,” Nuno told the media before calling on the star to improve in key areas.
“He has a lot of things to improve on his game in terms of physicality and duels — the aspects which normally require a time of adaptation. But the talent is there. He’s a good option who, in the right moments, can be helpful.”
Wolves will look at Vitinha now, perhaps unsurprised by the level he’s hit while understanding that for some, the Premier League isn’t the ideal destination to grow in.