Rúben Neves

Rúben Neves
Neves playing for Portugal U17 in 2014
Personal information
Full name Rúben Diogo da Silva Neves
Date of birth (1997-03-13) 13 March 1997
Place of birth Mozelos, Portugal
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Number 8
Youth career
2005–2014 Porto
2012–2013 → Padroense (loan)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2017 Porto 59 (3)
2017– Wolverhampton Wanderers 47 (7)
National team‡
2012–2013 Portugal U16 10 (1)
2012–2014 Portugal U17 31 (2)
2013 Portugal U18 2 (0)
2014– Portugal U21 23 (4)
2016 Portugal U23 1 (1)
2015– Portugal 8 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15:04, 16 September 2018 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 11 October 2018

Rúben Diogo da Silva Neves Portuguese pronunciation: [nɛvʃ] (born 13 March 1997) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays for Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers as a midfielder.

Club career

Porto

Born in Mozelos (Santa Maria da Feira), Aveiro District, Neves joined FC Porto's youth system at the age of 8. He was also loaned for one year to Padroense FC, which acted as Porto's under-16 squad.[1]

At the beginning of July 2014, Neves was supposed to bypass Porto's under-19 team and play with the reserve side, but following the injury of teammate Mikel Agu, he was called by Julen Lopetegui to be part of the main squad's pre-season, with the manager being impressed enough to keep him until its closure.[2]

On 15 August 2014, aged only 17 years and five months, Neves made his Primeira Liga debut, starting in a 2–0 home win against C.S. Marítimo and becoming the youngest player in the club's history to score a goal in the competition.[3] He played his first game in the UEFA Champions League five days later, breaking another record by being the youngest Portuguese to appear in the tournament as he featured 73 minutes in a 1–0 success at Lille OSC for the play-off round.[4]

On 10 December 2014, during a Champions League group phase contest against FC Shakhtar Donetsk, Neves was injured in his right knee following a collision in midfield with Alex Teixeira. At the end of the game, the club explained that he suffered a sprain, with apparent damage to the internal lateral ligament.[5] After almost a month, he returned to the pitch in a 3–1 home win over C.F. União for the Taça da Liga.[6]

On 20 October 2015, aged 18 years and 221 days, Neves became the youngest player to start as captain in the Champions League, helping Porto to a 2–0 win against Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. in the group stage and surpassing previous record holder Rafael van der Vaart, who held it since 16 September 2003.[7] On 5 December, in a 2–1 success over F.C. Paços de Ferreira also at the Estádio do Dragão, he broke another record by becoming the youngest player to achieve 50 games for the club, surpassing players like Fernando Gomes and Jaime Magalhães.[8]

Neves scored his second competitive goal on 3 February 2016, opening the scoreline in a 3–0 triumph at Gil Vicente F.C. for the semi-finals of the Taça de Portugal.[9]

Wolverhampton Wanderers

On 8 July 2017, EFL Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers announced that they had signed Neves for an undisclosed fee, thought to be in the region of £15.8 million – a club and league record fee.[10] He scored his first goal on 15 August, in a 3–2 away win over Hull City.[11] In April 2018, he was nominated for the EFL Championship Player of the Season and Young Player of the Season awards, and was also included in the Team of the Season along with teammates Conor Coady and John Ruddy[12] as his team were eventually promoted as champions;[13] he ultimately scored six goals in 42 appearances for the campaign, all of which were scored from outside of the box.[14]

Wolves announced that Neves had signed a new contract in July 2018, extending until 2023.[15] In the first match of the new season, he scored his first Premier League goal and assisted Raúl Jiménez in the latter's competitive debut, as his team twice came from behind to draw 2–2 with Everton.[16][17] His appearance in the match, alongside compatriots Rui Patrício, João Moutinho, Diogo Jota and Hélder Costa also saw the club break the league record for the most Portuguese players named in a starting line-up.[14]

International career

Neves represented Portugal at the 2014 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, helping the country reach the semi-finals as team captain. For his performances, he was named among the top ten talents of the tournament by a selection of UEFA reporters.[18]

On 29 August 2014, still aged 17, Neves was called by coach Rui Jorge to be part of the under-21 side.[19] He scored his first goal on 14 October, helping to a 5–4 home win against the Netherlands for the playoff round of the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.[20]

When the finals began in the Czech Republic, Neves broke a new record by becoming the youngest player to debut for the Portuguese under-21s in the tournament, aged 18 years and three months, playing five minutes to help beat England 1–0 in the group stage opener.[21] It was his only appearance, as the country reached the final and lost it to Sweden in a penalty shootout.[22]

Neves was first called up to the senior squad on 10 November 2015, ahead of friendlies against Russia and Luxembourg as an injury replacement for João Moutinho.[23] He made his debut in the former match, featuring 17 minutes in the 0–1 loss in Krasnodar,[24] then played the entire 2–0 win against the latter at the Stade Josy Barthel, sharing the midfield area with Porto teammates Danilo Pereira and André André.[25][26]

Neves was selected by full side manager Fernando Santos to a preliminary 35-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup,[27] but he did not make the final cut.[28]

Style of play

An article in UEFA.com described Neves as a defensive midfielder who is not afraid to go forward and prompt attacks, showing great maturity combined with an accurate passing skill, great vision and an astute sense of positioning. His playing attributes also granted him comparisons to Portuguese international teammate Moutinho for his fine first touch, similar desire to press his opponents and excellent distribution.[29]

Career statistics

As of match played 6 October 2018[30][31]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season Division League Cup League Cup Europe Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Porto 2014–15 Primeira Liga 24110309[lower-alpha 1]0371
2015–16 Primeira Liga 22161208[lower-alpha 2]0382
2016–17 Primeira Liga 13100203[lower-alpha 1]0181
Total 5937170200934
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2017–18 Championship 4260000—426
2018–19 Premier League 810000—81
Total 507000000507
Career Total 10910717020014311
  1. 1 2 Appearances in the Champions League
  2. ↑ Six appearances in the Champions League and two in the Europa League

Honours

Porto

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Portugal U21

Individual

References

  1. ↑ Pimentel, José Nuno (17 August 2014). "The rapid rise of Rúben Neves". UEFA. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
  2. ↑ "Rúben Neves tem um talento mental extraordinário" [Rúben Neves has an extraordinary mental talent]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 8 August 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  3. ↑ Almeida, Germano (15 August 2014). "FC Porto-Marítimo, 2–0 (crónica)" [FC Porto-Marítimo, 2–0 (report)] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  4. ↑ "Rúben Neves o português mais novo de sempre a jogar na Champions" [Rúben Neves the youngest Portuguese ever to play in the Champions] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 20 August 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  5. ↑ "Rúben Neves com lesão no joelho direito" [Rúben Neves with right knee injury]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 10 December 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  6. ↑ "Rúben Neves regressa aos convocados" [Rúben Neves returns to squad]. Record (in Portuguese). 12 January 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  7. ↑ "Porto's Rúben Neves, Iker Casillas make history". UEFA. 20 October 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  8. ↑ "Rúben Neves é o mais jovem a completar 50 jogos" [Rúben Neves is the youngest to complete 50 games]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 6 December 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  9. ↑ "Nunca é fácil mudar de estratégia" ["It is never easy to change strategy"]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 3 February 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  10. ↑ "Neves arrives!". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. 8 July 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  11. ↑ "Hull City 2–3 Wolverhampton Wanderers". BBC Sport. 15 August 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  12. ↑ "EFL awards: Tom Cairney, Ruben Neves & Ryan Sessgenon on Championship shortlist". BBC Sport. 4 April 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  13. ↑ "FPL promotion prospects: The Wolves worth hunting". Premier League. 27 May 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  14. 1 2 Nash, Tim (13 August 2018). "Richarlison and Ruben Neves ready to lead by example for Everton and Wolves". The Independent. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  15. ↑ "Ruben Neves: Wolves midfielder signs new five-year deal". BBC Sport. 2 July 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  16. ↑ Aarons, Ed (11 August 2018). "Wolves' Raúl Jiménez pegs back 10-man Everton after Richarlison's double". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  17. ↑ "Wolves 2 Everton 2: Jimenez header ensures Richarlison's brace in vain". FourFourTwo. 11 August 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
  18. ↑ "Ten under-17 players to keep an eye on". UEFA. 22 May 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  19. ↑ "Sporting domina convocatória, Ruben Neves chamado" [Sporting dominate list, Ruben Neves called] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 29 August 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  20. ↑ "Portugal through after nine-goal thriller". UEFA. 14 October 2014. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  21. ↑ "Rúben Neves quebra recorde mas quer mais: "Não posso abrandar"" [Ruben Neves breaks record but wants more: "I can't slow down"] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 19 June 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  22. 1 2 Kell, Tom (30 June 2015). "Spot-on Sweden beat Portugal to win U21 EURO". UEFA. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  23. ↑ "Liverpool and Chelsea target in high demand as youngster set to make international debut". Daily Express. 10 November 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  24. ↑ "Rússia vence Portugal em Krasnodar" [Russia beat Portugal in Krasnodar] (in Portuguese). UEFA. 14 November 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
  25. ↑ "Luxemburgo-Portugal, 0–2 (crónica)" [Luxembourg-Portugal, 0–2 (report)] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 17 November 2015. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  26. ↑ "Aproveitamos o meio-campo do FC Porto" [We took advantage of the FC Porto midfield]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 17 November 2015. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  27. ↑ "Revealed: Every World Cup 2018 squad – 23-man & preliminary lists & when will they be announced?". Goal. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  28. ↑ "Nearly half Portugal's Euro squad to miss World Cup". Special Broadcasting Service. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  29. ↑ "UEFA.com's weekly wonderkid: Rúben Neves". UEFA. 2 May 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  30. ↑ Rúben Neves at Soccerway. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  31. ↑ "Rúben Neves". Footballdatabase. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  32. ↑ "Technical report" (PDF). UEFA. pp. 21–22. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  33. ↑ "Rúben Neves distinguido como Jovem Promessa do Ano" [Rúben Neves distinguished as Young Prospect of the Year]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 11 November 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  34. ↑ "EFL Awards 2018: Shortlists revealed". English Football League. 3 April 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  35. ↑ "PFA Championship Team of the Year: Wolves & Fulham trios named in line-up". BBC Sport. 18 April 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
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