Portuguese midfielder Vitinha opened up about his own shortcomings and reaffirmed his team’s determination to qualify for the World Cup at a pre-match press conference ahead of Portugal’s World Cup qualifier against Hungary. The player, praised by Zinedine Zidane, frankly acknowledged that he still needs to improve in defense and physical duels, while emphasizing that Portugal will not let up even if they could qualify early, and will do their utmost to win tomorrow’s crucial match against Hungary.
Talking about the team’s performance, Vitinha said honestly: "Even if we win, there’s room for improvement in our tactical system—we’ve reviewed the areas where we didn’t do well. I haven’t scored yet; it would be better if I could score to help the team." Regarding Hungary’s low-block defense and counter-attacking tactics, he revealed the team was well-prepared: "The opponents will drop deep and wait for counter-attacks. We’ve been warned and know their style of play."
When asked about Zidane’s praise, Vitinha could hardly hide his gratitude: "He’s a role model in football, especially meaningful for midfielders. I’m happy to get his recognition, but I must keep progressing and not stop." As for his Ballon d’Or ranking, he remained humble: "It’s very subjective—without the team’s efforts, I wouldn’t have achieved anything. Thank you to everyone who helped me. Of course, it would be great if I could do better in the future; now I’m fulfilled every day, and my family and friends are happy for me too."
Portugal is likely to qualify for the World Cup early if they win tomorrow, and Vitinha stressed the team will not relax: "Qualification is just the first step. We’ve long made competing for the World Cup a habit—it’s not an easy road, but winning tomorrow will make the November matches easier, and we’ll give it our all." He also mentioned Portugal’s elimination by Morocco at the 2022 World Cup, suggesting that playing against South American teams might enrich their tactics: "Playing against teams from other continents would be different and help us prepare for more possible knockout scenarios."
Regarding tomorrow’s match, Vitinha stated that the biggest challenge is to "face it in the best form so we can win—create as many chances as possible, score goals, and secure qualification." He specifically noted that Hungary has been the toughest opponent in the qualifiers so far: "They scored two goals against us in the away game last time, and the environment was tricky. We must be extra careful tomorrow, and we have the ability to win this match." As for his struggles when tracking back in defense in Budapest previously, he said he would follow the coach’s arrangements and respond with the best offensive and defensive strategies.
