The Metronome's Vision Contest, Vitinha and Kimmich

ATLANTA, FRIDAY — The match between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich will feature two of the best metronomes in the world today. Vitinha at PSG and Joshua Kimmich at Bayern have the potential to be the decisive factors for their respective teams through a battle of vision in the midfield.

The two European giant clubs are set to meet in the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Saturday (5/7/2025) at 23:00 WIB. Although PSG has always lost to Bayern in the last four encounters, the club, known as the "King of Europe," is favored.

Bayern lost to Inter Milan in the quarter-finals of last season's Champions League. Meanwhile, PSG defeated Inter 5-0 in the final. These two results are not directly related, but they can somewhat reflect PSG's dominance. "The match will be difficult. PSG is having an extraordinary season," said Bayern striker Harry Kane.

The key figure behind PSG's success is the anchoring midfielder, Vitinha. He is being showered with praise for his ability to influence victories from the midfield. Not only at PSG, but Vitinha also recently led the Portuguese national team to win the UEFA Nations League 2024-25 last month.

Vitinha is the metronome that regulates the tempo and rhythm of the game. There is no need to run as fast as a cheetah or possess the physical strength of a rhinoceros; he only requires a simple pass to dominate the game. Vitinha makes everything appear straightforward with his top-notch vision and technical skills.

Portugal national team coach Roberto Martinez stated that Vitinha deserves to win the next edition of the Best Player award or Ballon d'Or. The influence of the metronome above the attackers who directly contribute to the goals is significant. "Vitinha is the maestro of football at this time," he said.

Vitinha once again demonstrated his quality as PSG triumphed over Inter Miami 4-0 in the round of 16. The 25-year-old player dominated the midfield battle against Sergio Busquets, who is regarded as the greatest metronome of his era. Busquets appeared to be well past his prime in front of him.

Bayern presented a worthy opponent for Vitinha. Kimmich, 30 years old, is in his prime. Unlike Busquets, who has passed his golden years. Kimmich has already demonstrated that maturity to Vitinha when Bayern won against PSG 1-0 in the group stage of the Champions League last November.

The potential for a fierce duel in midfield can also be seen in ESPN's list of the world's 100 best midfielders released in June 2025. Kimmich and Vitinha are the two highest-ranked "number 6" midfielders. They are also in the top seven in the overall rankings.

Kimmich is not more active than Vitinha in building attacks from the back. However, the German national team midfielder excels in supporting the attack. Kimmich is recorded as the player with the most successful passes in the opponent's final third during the Club World Cup, with 128 passes.

Kimmich's position is higher compared to Vitinha. His attacking attributes are more complete as he can play in two positions simultaneously. In the German national team, Kimmich plays as a right wing-back. He is given the freedom to move at Bayern, under the leadership of coach Vincent Kompany.

Meanwhile, Vitinha is very dominant when it comes to controlling the game. He is recorded as the player with the highest total successful passes throughout the tournament, with 353 passes. For context, the second player with the most in this aspect is Kimmich (244).

Interestingly, Vitinha does not only make "safe" passes. In the match against Inter Miami, for instance, he produced the most key passes (4 times) while still achieving a passing accuracy of 96 percent. Key passes tend to be more risky in terms of ball loss.

Vitinha's career has been on the rise over the past season. This is all thanks to coach Luis Enrique, who changed his role from an "8" midfielder to a "6" at PSG. According to Vitinha, he is better suited to play as a pivot because he can control the game from the back.

Led by his creation, Enrique hopes PSG's momentum continues in the Club World Cup. "We are having a historic season for the club and we want to extend it in this competition. Our goal is to advance as far as possible," explained Enrique.

Kompany had previously defeated Enrique at the beginning of the season. However, Kompany stated that the result is no longer relevant. PSG has become a different team since the middle of the season. "They were not perfect at the start of the season, but they managed to rise because they kept fighting and believing," he concluded.

The upcoming match will be very emotional for Vitinha. He has just lost his teammate in the national team, Diogo Jota, who passed away in a car accident. In addition to Vitinha, there are three other players from the Portugal national team at PSG, namely Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, and Goncalo Ramos. (AP/REUTERS)