It has taken Vitorino Hilton just two month to stamp his authority on the Marseille defence. Since August he has put in good performance after good performance, which has afforded him the congratulations of Erik Gerets.

It hasn’t taken Vitorino Hilton much time to find his feet at OM. In France since January 2004 and his arrival at Bastia, Vitorino Hilton knows the French League like the back of his hand, as after only six months in Corsica, he joined RC Lens where he stayed four full seasons. Because of this, he started off his career at Marseille with a certain amount of experience of the French League and the atmosphere of certain matches played in France. However, OM is a special club and sometimes a few weeks are needed for players to adapt. At 31 years of age (he celebrated his birthday on the 13th of September), he has slotted in very well to the squad. Right from the off he has shown himself to be the new boss of the Marseille defence. «He has been in good form since the start of the season » confirms Erik Gerets who considers him as «indispensable to the defence ».

If you take the game against Rennes out of the equation; where Olympique de Marseille conceded four goals, he has only conceded two (as many as Lyon over the first six games of the season). The partnership of Hilton and Zubar is one of the success stories of the start of the season. The experienced Vitorino Hilton has taken under his wing Ronald Zubar, who has just celebrated his 23rd birthday (the 20th of September). «He is a model , affirms the former Caen player, who is progressing under the guidance of the Brazilian, we communicate a lot in training. I try to learn from what he does and says. I’m a young player who is always willing to listen, next to him I’m a bit like a little kid. I’m always asking his advice. Even when we are eating I ask him questions about certain things. I’m open to advice and I think I can learn a lot from him as he is a great person. He helps people progress. On and off the pitch we get on really well ».

With such recommendations and when you look at his career so far, it’s surprising that "Vito", was not picked up earlier by a big club. «It’s a shame, as he is showing today everything that he is capable of, he is also showing what an exceptional player he is. He would not have been out of place in a big European club » states the Marseille coach, who is happy to have such a player in his squad.