Wolves have become a talking point of the Champions League final due to the performance of Vitinha.
It’s been four years since Vitinha was on Wolves’ books, signing on a season-long loan from Porto.
Nuno Espirito Santo welcomed the midfielder, who was 20 at the time, to the Premier League to join his squad littered with top Portuguese talent.
It was because of such talent that Wolves decided not to sign Vitinha at the conclusion of the 2020/21 season, as the youngster struggled to compete with the likes of Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho.
Vitinha expected to have more game time at Wolves
Nuno was aware of Moutinho’s impact on Vitinha’s time at Wolves, mentioning that the playmaker had a near-impossible task to usurp the veteran.
The former Wolves manager would have kicked himself many times during this season, as Vitinha has gone straight to the top, capping his season off by winning the Champions League.
Vitinha was congratulated by his ex-Wolves teammate John Ruddy, as many who had crossed paths with the Portuguese ace in the West Midlands watched on in awe.
Though the 25-year-old will have no regrets over how his trajectory to the top unfolded, the midfielder made it clear in 2021 that his plan for his stay at Wolves never prevailed.
Speaking to O Jogo during the summer of 2021, Vitinha revealed that he had envisaged himself playing a lot more for the Old Gold during his season with Nuno.
“I’m not going to lie, I came with the idea of having more minutes, playing more and being in the team more often, but it didn’t happen.
“I had the same type of opportunities and tried to make the most of every bit of it to show my value and help the team.”
At the time, Wolves weren’t aware of the talent they had on their hands, as Nuno wanted Vitinha to dull things down slightly to avoid overcomplicating his game in the middle of the park.
It’s funny how football works, as the world watched in admiration as PSG’s number 17 ran riot in the Champions League final, making it clear that playing his way was the only way forward.
How many times did Vitinha play for Wolves?
While the dazzling midfielder ensured it was no secret that he had different plans for his spell at Molineux, Vitinha was grateful for his time at Wolves.
Nuno took a risk by bringing a fairly inexperienced 20-year-old to the Premier League, particularly into a squad that had immovable midfielders such as Neves and Moutinho at the time.
| Competition | Appearances | Minutes | Starts |
| Premier League | 19 | 513 | 5 |
| FA Cup | 2 | 138 | 2 |
| Carabao Cup | 1 | 60 | 1 |
| Total | 22 | 711 | 8 |
Things simply didn’t work out for Vitinha and Wolves, as communicated by Nuno handing the loanee just 711 minutes to show his worth in all competitions.
Perhaps if the Old Gold had hindsight at their disposal, Vitinha would’ve been given greater room to flourish, but at the time, there wasn’t a way around frequently easing the youngster into the favoured XI.
Wolves will have regrets about their handling of Vitinha, just as the player has regrets over his lack of minutes, but fortunately for the latter, things have worked out just fine.