Alejandra 🇲🇽

🚨 Vitinha on Fabian Ruiz after his two goals and Man of the Match performance in PSG’s 6–0 win over Villarreal: “After the match, somebody asked me, ‘Were you surprised Fabian scored twice?’ I said, ‘No. I was surprised he let us celebrate him.’ People see the goals tonight, the trophy, all the attention. But I wish they could see Fabian on an ordinary Tuesday morning when nobody is talking about him. I remember once after a match, I told him, ‘You were unbelievable today.’ He said, ‘I think I could have done better with the ball.’ I said, ‘Fabian, I was standing next to you for ninety minutes. If you could have done much better, what was I doing there?’ He laughed, but he still started explaining a pass he thought he’d played too slowly. That’s him. You can tell him he was the best player on the pitch and he’ll find a reason to talk about somebody else. When I first started understanding his game, I realised how much easier he makes things for everyone around him. Sometimes I receive the ball and already know where he’s going to be. I don’t even have to look twice. And if I make a mistake, he’s often the first person coming across to help. He doesn’t turn around and complain. He just gives me another passing option. We had a conversation once about people not always noticing what he does. I said, ‘Doesn’t it annoy you when you play well and nobody talks about you?’ He told me, ‘If the team wins, why should I be annoyed?’ I said, ‘Because sometimes you deserve the praise.’ He replied, ‘Then you can praise me.’ So I did. And he told me to stop talking. That’s why tonight was special. When he scored the first goal, I ran towards him and said, ‘Now they have to talk about you.’ He said, ‘We still have a match to finish.’ Then he scored again. I told him, ‘Fabian, you’re making it very difficult for people to ignore you.’ And he just smiled. After the game, we were all telling him to take the Man of the Match trophy into the dressing room. One of the boys said, ‘Make sure everybody sees it.’ Fabian said, ‘They were all on the pitch. They saw the match.’ I said, ‘Yes, but we want to see you enjoy this.’ Because I think people sometimes misunderstand quiet players. They think if somebody doesn’t demand attention, he doesn’t care whether he gets any. Fabian cares. He works. He feels criticism like anyone else. He just doesn’t make every feeling a public announcement. And when I heard he had dedicated his goal to Jesus de Miguel, it reminded me that football is never only about the ninety minutes. We all carry people and memories into these matches that the crowd might know nothing about. I won’t speak for what that dedication means to him. But I was happy he got to have that moment. Someone asked me whether tonight proves Fabian is one of the best midfielders in Europe. I said, ‘If you needed two goals against Villarreal to start considering it, you haven’t been watching him properly.’ The goals are wonderful. I’m happy for him. But the Fabian I admire is the one who makes the pass before the assist, who covers for a teammate, who keeps asking for the ball when the game becomes difficult. Tonight everyone saw him. We see him every day. And I hope when he gets home, he finally allows himself to believe what the rest of us have been telling him for a long time.”