“We need to use his talent more” - Roberto Martinez names player that Portugal failed to utilise well in FIFA World Cup draw with Colombia

× Portugal manager Roberto Martinez has admitted he has failed to utilise Vitinha's full potential at the 2026 FIFA World Cup so far. The Selecao have been thoroughly underwhelming in the FIFA World Cup and have only progressed from Group K as the runners-up. Ad Cristiano Ronaldo's side could only secure a 0-0 draw against Colombia on Saturday, June 27.

And, they were completely outplayed by the South Americans by some distance and were fortunate to secure a point. Following the game, Portugal manager Roberto Martinez has claimed he has not been able to bring out the best of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star Vitinha. He said, as quoted OJOGO: "Importantly, we have players we have a lot of faith in.

We have some who haven't made their debut yet, 21 players have already played. Rúben Neves' experience was important. It makes sense to share the effort as we did.

Samu came on very well. We couldn't hold onto the ball as we wanted, we couldn't use Vitinha's talent to its full potential, we need to use his talent more in the attacking process. Diogo Costa's performance is fantastic."

Ad Trending Vitinha is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world, having played a key role behind PSG's dominance in France and Europe. He has been integral behind the French giants' back-to-back Champions League wins. The 26-year-old played 50 times across competitions for PSG last season, scoring seven goals and providing ten assists.

He has started all three games for Portugal in the 2026 FIFA World Cup so far, but has not been able to influence the game as much as he would have wanted. Ad Portugal star makes promise about Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes after draw against Colombia in the FIFA World Cup Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa has made a promise about Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes following their 0-0 draw against Colombia in the FIFA World Cup. Roberto Martinez's side were far from impressive against Colombia with Costa winning the Man of the Match.

Ad After the game, Diogo Costa has claimed that he would swap his Man of the Match award for a victory. He has also insisted that superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes will help the team on their day in the FIFA World Cup. He said: "We wanted to win.

I'd rather trade the Man of the Match award for a victory. We broke up the game a lot, which wasn't what we wanted. Today I was the one who helped, next time it'll be Cris, or Bruno, or someone else.

Now it's knockout time, but we have high-quality players, players who have won Champions Leagues, championships, we have the experience to win."Following their draw against Colombia, Portugal have only managed to secure second place in Group K behind Colombia. They will be up against Croatia in the Round of 32, while Colombia will take on Ghana.

× Was this article helpful? Thank You for feedback Quick Links More from Sportskeeda Edited by Snehanjan Banerjee Portugal manager Roberto Martinez has admitted he has failed to utilise Vitinha's full potential at the 2026 FIFA World Cup so far. The Selecao have been thoroughly underwhelming in the FIFA World Cup and have only progressed from Group K as the runners-up.

Ad Cristiano Ronaldo's side could only secure a 0-0 draw against Colombia on Saturday, June 27. And, they were completely outplayed by the South Americans by some distance and were fortunate to secure a point. Following the game, Portugal manager Roberto Martinez has claimed he has not been able to bring out the best of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star Vitinha.

He said, as quoted OJOGO: "Importantly, we have players we have a lot of faith in. We have some who haven't made their debut yet, 21 players have already played. Rúben Neves' experience was important.

It makes sense to share the effort as we did. Samu came on very well. We couldn't hold onto the ball as we wanted, we couldn't use Vitinha's talent to its full potential, we need to use his talent more in the attacking process.

Diogo Costa's performance is fantastic." Ad Trending Vitinha is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world, having played a key role behind PSG's dominance in France and Europe. He has been integral behind the French giants' back-to-back Champions League wins.

The 26-year-old played 50 times across competitions for PSG last season, scoring seven goals and providing ten assists. He has started all three games for Portugal in the 2026 FIFA World Cup so far, but has not been able to influence the game as much as he would have wanted. Ad Portugal star makes promise about Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes after draw against Colombia in the FIFA World Cup Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa has made a promise about Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes following their 0-0 draw against Colombia in the FIFA World Cup.

Roberto Martinez's side were far from impressive against Colombia with Costa winning the Man of the Match. Ad After the game, Diogo Costa has claimed that he would swap his Man of the Ma