Vitinha names Kane and Mbappe among Ballon d’Or contenders as PSG prepare for Aston Villa

Vitinha says Paris Saint-Germain’s players deserve to be considered among the leading candidates for this year’s Ballon d’Or, while also highlighting Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe ahead of Wednesday’s UEFA Super Cup meeting with Aston Villa.

The Portugal midfielder is ready to return to action as Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain face Aston Villa, who lifted the Europa League, in a rare opportunity to compete for another major trophy.

Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League for a second consecutive season, and Vitinha says the hunger that drove their success has not diminished despite the limited time available to prepare for the new campaign.

“I’m fine. We showed last year that we are hungry for trophies. We wanted to win more titles and more cups. This year is no different. It will be difficult, but we want to do our best to win more,” Vitinha said at his pre-match news conference.

The 25-year-old acknowledged that the short turnaround had made preparations more demanding, but insisted he and his team-mates would be ready for the match.

“Of course, we know that the preparation time was a little short. We were not able to have the usual rest and preparation time. I think that the team and I will be ready for Wednesday’s match. We will do our best to win,” he said, according to the official Paris Saint-Germain website.

Vitinha also recalled the difficulty of facing Aston Villa in their previous Champions League meeting two years ago, particularly during the second half.

“We all know Aston Villa, even with the start of the new season. It has always been difficult to play against them. I remember our match against them in the Champions League two years ago very well. It was difficult, especially the second half. We understand how difficult Wednesday’s match will be, but we also know that the Super Cup is a match that a player rarely gets the chance to play in throughout his career,” he added.

The midfielder said Paris Saint-Germain’s focus was now firmly fixed on the match and the chance to add another honour to their recent run of success.

“We had time to rest after the World Cup. We are ready to play the matches. We have to be fully focused. Our minds are on Wednesday’s match and this Super Cup,” Vitinha said.

Asked who he believes should win the Ballon d’Or this year, Vitinha pointed to several Paris Saint-Germain players after their impressive season, while also naming Kane and Mbappe among the wider group of contenders.

“There are many outstanding players who can win the Ballon d’Or this year,” he said.

“For me, I think it would be natural for a Paris Saint-Germain player to win it, such as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia after his excellent season in the Champions League, or Ousmane Dembele after his outstanding campaign, or Fabian Ruiz, who won everything. There were also other excellent players who had a great season, such as Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe. I have no doubt that I have forgotten some names, but I would nominate a Parisian player,” Vitinha added.