Portugal’s Parisian quartet firing PSG to new heights and fuelling hopes of Seleção glory | OneFootball

For decades, Paris was the city with the highest population of Portuguese citizens outside of Lisbon such were the endless swathes of emigrants making their way from a poverty-stricken Portugal under dictatorship to “the city of light”. Today, the French capital remains a big attraction for another kind of emigration: that of world-class footballers.

Vitinha, João Neves, Nuno Mendes and Gonçalo Ramos have all enhanced their reputation in Ligue 1. Zach Lowy delves into their impressive individual and collective development under Luis Enrique and ponders on what it may mean for Portugal’s chances of glory.

The tradition of Portuguese in Paris

During the mid-1950s, thousands of Portuguese people decided to flee their homeland, and due to the political instability in Brazil, a traditional destination for emigrants, and due to the nation’s proximity, many of them decided to establish a new base in France. Whether they were looking to escape the financial hardship of peasant life, or looking to avoid being sent off to Africa to fight in the colonial wars, or simply seeking to avoid the repressive regime of António de Oliveira Salazar’s dictatorship, living in Portugal was no longer a feasible possibility for them.

Between 1957 and 1974, a total of 900,000 Portuguese moved to France, with the majority of them settling in the Parisian banlieues, or slums. They faced discrimination and harsh living conditions, often forced to eke out a living as a janitor, garbage collector, a construction worker or a similarly low-paid role. And yet, they managed to achieve the largest immigrant community in L’Hexagone and plant the seeds for future generations to enjoy better lives.

Over the past half-century, these aveques have successfully assimilated into French life, but they haven’t forgotten their Portuguese heritage. Many of them choose to root for their ancestral homeland whenever the Seleção faces off against Les Bleus, as was the case in the 2016 European Championship Final. And many of them have found in Paris Saint-Germain a consistent source of exciting Portuguese players.

Since its establishment in 1970, PSG has boasted a total 19 Portuguese players according to Transfermarkt, including two EURO champions in Renato Sanches and Danilo Pereira. None were more impactful than Pauleta, who fired in 109 goals in 211 appearances between 2003 and 2008 and was their all-time leading scorer until being surpassed by Zlatan Ibrahimović in 2015. However, today, Les Parisiens have four promising Portuguese starlets who look destined to leave their mark for club and country.

Nuno Mendes

For all of Paris Saint-Germain’s star power and financial resources, they never quite managed to identify a world-class left back, with various players like Layvin Kurzawa and Yuri Berchiche struggling to lay a claim to the position. This would change in 2021 with the arrival of Nuno Mendes.

Born in Sintra to Angolan parents, Mendes developed in Sporting’s academy and made his professional debut on 12 June 2020. Over the next 14 months, Mendes would emerge as Sporting’s first-choice left wingback and help them win their first championship since 2002, claim the Taça da Liga and Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, and earn a loan move to PSG with a €38 obligation to buy, where he developed a phenomenal fullback pairing with Achraf Hakimi. In 2022/23, Mendes was named in the league’s Team of the Season for the third straight season, and he also followed in the footsteps of Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry, and Kylian Mbappé by winning the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year.

At 22 years old, Mendes has staked his claim as arguably the finest left back in world football and emerged as one of the first names on the team sheet for both of his Spanish managers Luis Enrique and Roberto Martínez. Capable of conjuring up danger from a standing start or in transition, Mendes excels at dribbling out of tight situations and delivering a phenomenal cross into the box, whilst he also has the physical fortitude to outmuscle opponents and win the ball back. He has emerged as a regular creative threat for PSG – finding the back of the net in their most recent match, a 3-1 win vs. Marseille – and his swashbuckling runs elicit similarities to previous great fullbacks like Patrice Evra, Andreas Beck, and Marcelo.

His defensive awareness has often been called into question, with the Portuguese fullback struggling against Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho in last season’s UEFA Champions League semi-finals. Since then, however, Mendes has been able to hold his own against a number of the game’s top wingers like Leroy Sané, Phil Foden and Mohamed Salah, and provide plenty of security on both sides of the ball.

“Mendes doesn’t always score, but he regularly finds himself in goal-scoring positions where he can finish off a team move, and he also boasts a good shot from distance,” stated CBS Sports’ Paris-based journalist Jonathan Johnson. “The nightmare two-legged experience vs. Dortmund emphasized to him that he really needed to knuckle down and work on his defensive approach and clearly he’s done that when you look at some of the individual performances he’s produced but also the collective displays he’s been a part of this season.”

“You look at the guys leading a resurgence to PSG at a time when their confidence was really low, he scored one of the crucial goals in their 3-0 win at Salzburg which essentially kickstarted the momentum that got them back in the reckoning in the Champions League. The one thing that’s maybe stopping him from becoming the complete package at left back is the ability to balance that defensive focus and natural attacking will…it takes a lot of effort for him to make those defensive performances so complete, and when he’s really focused on that, it normally comes at a slight detriment to him going forward. If he can balance that, he’s well-positioned to become one of the top left backs, if not the top left back, in the world game.”

Vitinha

In contrast to Mendes’ meteoric rise, the progress of Vítor Machado Ferreira or ‘Vitinha’ has been a slow-cooker. Despite winning the 2018/19 UEFA Youth League with boyhood club Porto, Vitinha was forced to bide his time on the fringes of the first team under Sérgio Conceição and cut his teeth out on loan with Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers before finally breaking into the squad in the autumn of 2021. Vitinha excelled in midfield as Porto won the league title with a then-Primeira Liga record 91 points, enough to earn a €41.5 million transfer to PSG in 2022.

Vitinha struggled in his first season in France both on and off the pitch: he reportedly got into a training ground bust-up with Lionel Messi and was allegedly the target of Neymar’s outburst after a loss to Monaco, with the Brazilian complaining that the squad had been severely weakened by the arrival of players like him. Vitinha’s confidence dropped, and so too did his form, with the diminutive midfielder losing his place in the line-up. However, the summer of 2023 would see Messi and Neymar depart Paris, whilst Luis Enrique replaced Christophe Galtier as PSG manager.

With Enrique prioritising a more intricate, pass-heavy system, Vitinha emerged as the vital fulcrum in midfield, capable of organising the flow of possession, wriggling out of pressure, and distributing the ball to advanced areas. Harkening similarities to midfielders like Diego Gavilán and João Moutinho, he knew what to do with the ball before it reached his feet. He was named the Man of the Match for their opening Champions League match vs. Borussia Dortmund, and he didn’t look back: Vitinha scored in both legs against Barcelona to lead PSG to a comeback victory and qualification for the semi-finals, and he was voted into the Team of the Season for both Ligue 1 and the UEFA Champions League. And when PSG closed out their 2023/24 season with a win against Lyon in the Coupe de France Final, Enrique declared Vitinha PSG’s best player of the season.

He has staked his claim as one of the finest midfielders in world football, capable of fluttering around the pitch and offering a quick passing option, before breaking the lines with an inch-perfect through ball. But he doesn’t need to execute the Hollywood pass in order to make an impact on proceedings: Vitinha’s technical finesse and intelligent decision-making enables him to keep PSG’s possession ticking without losing the ball in dangerous areas. He is comfortable blitzing forward and swerving past opponents before launching a shot or unlocking a deep block with a killer pass. The 25-year-old is constantly one step ahead of his opponents, and he delivered yet another Man of the Match performance to help PSG eliminate Liverpool from the Champions League, winning 6 out of 9 ground duels, making 6 clearances and 5 tackles, completing 103 out of 111 passes (as well as 6 out of 11 long balls), and converting the opening spot-kick.

“Vitinha is a maestro,” states Johnson, who, despite being a boyhood Aston Villa supporter, has emerged as the preeminent English-language expert on Paris Saint-Germain.. “He is a metronomic presence in midfield, has a key role from set-pieces, has this composed mentality, and has involved into a leadership figure.”

Similarly to Mendes, who renewed his contract until 2029 in December, Vitinha extended his deal through 2029 last month. And similarly to Mendes, who is chasing his fifth straight league title, Vitinha is all but confirmed to win his fourth straight championship: with 8 matches left, PSG sit 19 points clear of second-placed Marseille and have not lost in Ligue 1 since May 2024.

João Neves

Three years after Porto’s UEFA Youth League conquest, Benfica claimed the title thanks in large to the stellar performances of João Neves. The Seixal academy graduate began the 2022/23 campaign in the reserves, but he made his way into Roger Schmidt’s first team after the FIFA World Cup and helped fill Enzo Fernández’s void in midfield following the Argentine’s move to Chelsea. Boasting a low centre of gravity and calmness under pressure, Neves was able to identify spaces that others would have ignored, as well as shield the ball and hold off bigger opponents.

Despite standing just 1.74 metres tall, Neves excelled in aerial duels due to his jumping ability and overall confidence, relegating the more physically imposing player – Florentino Luís – to the bench. He approached every loose ball with intensity and concentration, constantly backing himself to get there before his opponent and come away with possession.

Neves engineered a penchant for appearing in big games. When Benfica looked set to throw away the league title, Neves scored a 94th-minute equaliser to snatch a point at city rivals Sporting. One week later, Benfica thrashed Santa Clara 3-0 on the final day, edging Porto to the title by just two points and securing their first championship in four years. He did even better in 2023/24, scoring another 94th-minute equaliser in a remarkable comeback win versus Sporting and was voted as the Primeira Liga Midfielder of the Month for September, October, November, December, February and March.

This prompted the attention of Paris Saint-Germain, who signed him for €70 million in July 2024. Neves enjoyed a seamless transition to life in Paris, bagging two assists in each of his first two games, and emerging as an indispensable member of their midfield. Neves has racked up eight assists in France’s top flight, second only to Lyon’s Rayan Cherki (9), but he’s also showcasing his value in his defensive duties by racking up a team-high 2.5 tackles per match.

“Neves has this tip-of-the-hat sort of football from decades ago, playing with his shirt tucked in… he’s kind of like an upgraded version of Marco Verratti,” stated Johnson. “He’s got a similar skillset, when he’s on the ball, you can’t get it off him, it sticks to his boots like Velcro. He has that elastic quality where he’ll get fouled and knocked down to the ground, but then he’ll be immediately up and trying to get the ball back and staying in control. I’ve heard a couple of people around PSG say that Neves is like Verratti without the penchant for smoking cigarettes and going to nightclubs.

“It’s taken time for Enrique to find the right balance, but he finally has the right profile of players and the midfield trio of Vitinha, João Neves and Fabián Ruiz are tailor-made for the positions they occupy on the pitch. In the past, PSG have had to field players outside their preferred positions in order to accommodate star talent, but you’re now seeing the benefits of playing each player in the position where they’re most comfortable in.”

Gonçalo Ramos

Out of Paris Saint-Germain’s four Portuguese players, Gonçalo Ramos is the only one who doesn’t have a guaranteed presence in the starting line-up, but he’s also the most expensive one. After developing in Benfica’s academy, Ramos stepped into Darwin Núñez’s lofty footsteps and emerged as the Eagles’ attacking talisman. He enjoyed a stellar 2022/23 campaign, scoring a hat-trick in a World Cup knockout round match against Switzerland and racking up 27 goals to guide Benfica back to the apex of Portuguese football.

Ramos would end up joining PSG in the summer of 2023 on loan with an obligation to buy for €65 million with an additional €15 million in potential bonuses. Despite becoming hospitalised in December with a virus and losing six kilograms, and despite having a bench role, Ramos managed to rack up 14 goals and 2 assists in 40 appearances as Les Parisiens claimed the domestic treble in 2023/24.

There was an expectation that Ramos would fill Kylian Mbappé’s void and lock down a starting spot at the centre forward position following the Frenchman’s move to Paris Saint-Germain. Instead, he’s had to content himself with off-the-bench contributions due to the supersonic form of Ousmane Dembélé, who has emerged as perhaps the most in-form player in world football. Whilst he’s competing with Dembélé – the top scorer of 2025 – for a starting spot at the club level, he’s competing with Cristiano Ronaldo – the all-time leading male scorer in international football – for a starting spot at the international level.

Despite being PSG’s fifth-choice attacker behind Dembélé, Bradley Barcola, January recruit Khvicha Kvaratshkelia, and Désiré Doué, Ramos remains a key figure for club and country, an elite finisher who’s capable of making an impact in limited minutes. Ramos has registered 13 goals and 5 assists in 27 PSG appearances this season, whilst he’s also racked up 9 goals and 2 assists in 15 Portugal appearances. At 23 years of age, there’s reason to believe that these numbers will continue to improve. And there’s reason to believe that, if PSG are to get past Aston Villa and qualify for the Champions League semi-finals, Ramos will have a big role to play.

“Is Gonçalo Ramos a fantastic predatory striker who’s going to put the ball in the back of the net when he’s fit and firing and feeling confident? Absolutely!” stated Johnson. “Look at the composure he had taking that penalty against Liverpool despite not even touching the ball in the 30 seconds of extra time that he played. That speaks of a very high-quality attacking player, but he doesn’t quite have the same skillset that Dembélé has, which is better suited to the false 9.

“He is a really fascinating player. He has a really underrated jumping ability that enables him to get his head on balls which you wouldn’t associate with someone of his height. I think that makes him a bit of an anomaly, but there’s a real hope and willingness from the PSG fanbase for Ramos to succeed because they see similarities with him and Pauleta. They sense that, with a bit of love and care, Ramos can be as dangerous and decisive, if not more so, than Pauleta.”

What does it mean for the Portuguese national team?

On 9 July 2006, Italy edged France on penalties to secure their first World Cup trophy in 24 years. They did so thanks to a Bianconeri-tinged squad – out of the 11 starters, four of them played for Juventus. The next few years would see Spain dominate world football and claim two Euros titles and their first-ever World Cup thanks to a contingent of Barcelona players like Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta and Carles Puyol as well as Real Madrid players like Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos. Spain’s reign came to an end in 2014, as Germany took the tournament by storm to secure the World Cup trophy – out of the 11 players who started for Die Mannschaft in the final, six of them were playing for Bayern Munich. And when Portugal won their first-ever trophy in the 2016 Euros, they did so with four Sporting players in the starting line-up.

This isn’t a coincidence. Whereas club teammates will train together the majority of the year, international teammates don’t have that same luxury. And as such, having that preexisting chemistry in your squad is a priceless commodity which allows your team to find the right tactical balance. These players understand each other’s attributes, they know where to move to, where to play the pass, and how to compensate for their weaknesses.

It’s why, if Portugal are to come away with their first-ever World Cup trophy next year, they’ll need a big contribution from their four Paris Saint-Germain players.