"Fought for the badge" – Fans agree as Luis Enrique names 'exceptional' PSG star as player of the season over Kylian Mbappe
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) fans have reacted in agreement with Luis Enrique after the boss picked Vitinha over Kylian Mbappe as the Parisians' player of the season.
Earlier on Saturday (May 25), PSG completed a domestic double after recording a 2-1 victory over Olympique Lyonnais in the Coupe de France final. They dominated the clash with Ousmane Dembele and Fabian Ruiz each bagging a goal in the first half of the match.
Following the cup triumph, Enrique lauded Vitinha (h/t X/@PSGhub):
"Vitinha was, without doubt, the player of the season for me. He's exceptional."
A PSG fan agreed with Enrique and lavished praise on Vitinha on X:
"Vitinha was the man who fought for the badge and put all on the line in every match, not only was he our most improved player... he was our best player in big games too."
Here's how other supporters reacted to Enrique's recent comments:
Vitinha, who left Porto for around €40 million in 2022, established himself as one of PSG's most reliable players this campaign. The 24-year-old midfielder scored nine goals and laid out five assists in 46 matches.
Robert Lewandowski asserts Barcelona will not fear Kylian Mbappe-led rivals next term
During a recent interaction with MARCA, Barcelona star Robert Lewandowski was queried whether his team are afraid about facing Real Madrid with Kylian Mbappe next season. He replied (h/t ESPN):
"Scared? No. Of course, Mbappe is an amazing player and if he joins Real Madrid, the team, the players will be very strong. But our mindset will be like: it doesn't matter how good players they are. If we, as a team, are working together, with the mindset that we can beat them, we can compete with them."
Lewandowski, who helped Barcelona lift the 2022-23 La Liga title, said:
"We have to be ready from the first game, from the first minute. Because, Real Madrid will have some time when they don't play well, losing points, and we have to be ready for that... to not only catch them but to get ahead of them. Like the season before, there were always some games we couldn't win, but we didn't lose."
Mbappe, 25, is allegedly set to sign a five-year deal, worth €15 million-a-season, at Real Madrid after leaving PSG at the end of his contract.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner contributed a whopping 44 goals and laid out 10 assists in 48 appearances across competitions this season.