Marseille supporters are discovering a new Vitinha this summer. Transferred from Braga (Portugal) last January against 32 million euros, a record in the history of OM, the Portuguese international hopeful will have taken several months to make his mark on the side of the Vélodrome stadium. Under the mandate of Igor Tudor last season, he was content with crumbs in the shadow of the Chilean Alexis Sanchez (14 matches, 5 starts, 2 goals), which he however did not know how to take advantage of.
His half-hearted performances quickly worried about La Canebière while its president, Pablo Longoria, demanded patience and indulgence. He took it well in view of the last outings of the Marseille number 9, recruited at a price of gold on the gong of the winter transfer window.
Since the official launch of the Olympian season, Vitinha has had the right to only one start, against Reims (2-1) on the first day of Ligue 1. A clever and very influential scorer in the game, the Portuguese quickly scored points, finding the net in Metz seven minutes after entering the game (2nd day, 2-2). However, his trainer Marcelino confines him, for the moment, to a joker role in attack, behind the duo composed of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Iliman Ndiaye. But the two star rookies struggled last Saturday despite the victory in front of Brest (2-0), in particular the Senegalese attacking midfielder appeared out of breath after an intense month of August. So can Vitinha win his starting spot this Friday evening (9 p.m.) on the lawn of FC Nantes? In any case, the dynamic speaks for itself.
“If Vitinha continues at this level, he will end up starting. It’s the same for everyone. The coach must choose eleven players. (…) Vitinha is in constant progress”, savored his Spanish coach at a press conference following the success against Stade Brestois. Enough to give hope to OM’s current top scorer, who only requires minutes on the field to confirm his new face. Even in front of the media, his childish and smiling face displays a newfound confidence, all in very good French.
Amid the summer bustle in Marseille – eight players have arrived, seven have left – ‘Viti’ looks like a new signing, as the impression left in three days of Ligue 1 remains so far removed from his initial difficulties. With two goals already on the clock, the center-forward intends to continue to improve his statistics. FC Nantes is warned, holder or substitute, Vitinha version 2023-2024 is hungry. It’s up to OM and Marcelino to take advantage of it.
