Rúben Neves facts for kids
Neves in 2017
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 13 March 1997 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Mozelos, Portugal | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Defensive midfielder | |||||||||||||||
| Club information | ||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Al-Hilal | |||||||||||||||
| Number | 8 | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2014 | Porto | |||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | → Padroense (loan) | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||
| 2014–2017 | Porto | 59 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| 2017–2023 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 219 | (27) | |||||||||||||
| 2023– | Al-Hilal | 41 | (4) | |||||||||||||
| National team‡ | ||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Portugal U15 | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Portugal U16 | 10 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Portugal U17 | 31 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2013 | Portugal U18 | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2014–2017 | Portugal U21 | 23 | (4) | |||||||||||||
| 2016 | Portugal U23 | 1 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2015– | Portugal | 54 | (0) | |||||||||||||
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Honours
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† Appearances (Goals). |
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Rúben Diogo da Silva Neves (born on March 13, 1997) is a professional footballer from Portugal. He plays as a defensive midfielder for the Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal and for the Portugal national team.
Rúben Neves began his football journey with Porto and played his first senior game when he was just 17 years old. In 2017, he moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers for about £15.8 million. He played 253 games for them and scored 30 goals. In his first season with Wolves, his team won the EFL Championship. In 2023, he joined Al-Hilal for £47 million.
Neves has played over 60 games for Portugal's youth teams. He made his debut for the senior national team in 2015 when he was 18. He has also been part of Portugal's squads for major tournaments like UEFA Euro 2020, the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and Euro 2024.
Contents
Rúben Neves's Football Journey
Starting at Porto
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Rúben Neves was born in Mozelos, Portugal. He grew up supporting Porto and joined their youth academy when he was eight. During his time there, he also played for Padroense on loan. His coaches saw him as a player with amazing mental strength, as well as great skills with the ball.
Before the 2014–15 season, Neves was expected to play for Porto's reserve team. But because a teammate got injured, he was called up to the main squad. On August 15, 2014, at 17 years and five months old, he played his first game in the Primeira Liga. He scored a goal in a 2–0 win against Marítimo, becoming the youngest player to score in the league for Porto. Five days later, he played his first UEFA Champions League match, setting another record as the youngest Portuguese player to appear in the tournament.
On October 20, 2015, when he was 18 years and 221 days old, Neves became the youngest player to start as captain in the Champions League. He led Porto to a 2–0 victory against Maccabi Tel Aviv. On December 5, he broke another record by becoming the youngest player to play 50 games for the club.
Joining Wolves
On July 8, 2017, Neves joined EFL Championship club Wolverhampton Wanderers. The transfer fee was a record for the club and the league at the time. He was reunited with his former Porto manager, Nuno Espírito Santo. He scored his first goal for Wolves on August 15, in a 3–2 win against Hull City.
In April 2018, Neves was nominated for several awards, including Player of the Season. He was also named in the Team of the Season. His team, Wolves, won the Championship that season, and Neves scored 6 goals in 42 games. All his goals were scored from outside the penalty box! At the end of the season, he won three club awards: Player of the Season, Player's Player of the Season, and Goal of the Season. He also won the EFL Goal of the Year award for 2018.
In July 2018, Wolves announced that Neves had signed a new contract until June 2023. In the first game of the new season, he scored his first Premier League goal. He also helped Raúl Jiménez score in a 2–2 draw against Everton.
On October 6, 2018, Neves played his 50th game for Wolves. In January, his winning goal against Liverpool in the FA Cup was voted the best goal of the third round by BBC Sport fans.
On September 25, 2019, Neves became Wolves' club captain for the first time. He led the team to a win in the 2019–20 EFL Cup. He played his 100th Premier League game on March 6, 2021, in a draw against Aston Villa.
Neves played his 200th game for Wolves on February 13, 2022, in a 2–0 win against Tottenham Hotspur. On his 25th birthday, March 13, he helped Wolves win against Everton. This was Wolves' 1,000th win in top-flight football. For the 2022–23 season, Neves became Wolves' full-time captain. He scored his first goal of the season on August 28, in a 1–1 draw with Newcastle United.
In May 2023, Neves shared that he wanted to play in the Champions League.
Moving to Al-Hilal
On June 23, 2023, Wolves confirmed that Rúben Neves was leaving the club. He joined Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia. This transfer set a new record for Wolves, reportedly at £47 million.
Playing for Portugal
Youth Teams
Neves played for Portugal's Under-17 team in the 2014 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. He was the captain and helped his country reach the semi-finals. UEFA reporters named him one of the top ten talents of the tournament.
On August 29, 2014, when he was still 17, Neves was called up to the Under-21 team. He scored his first goal for them on October 14, in a 5–4 win against the Netherlands.
In the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship finals, Neves became the youngest player to play for Portugal's Under-21s in the tournament. Portugal reached the final but lost to Sweden in a penalty shootout.
Senior National Team
Neves was first called up to the senior team on November 10, 2015. He made his debut in a friendly match against Russia.
He was part of the preliminary squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup but did not make the final team.
At the 2019 UEFA Nations League Finals in Portugal, Neves played in the semi-final win against Switzerland. Portugal went on to win the final against the Netherlands.
Neves was one of four Wolves players chosen for Portugal's squad for UEFA Euro 2020. He also played for Portugal in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
His Playing Style
Rúben Neves is a defensive midfielder. This means he helps protect his team's defense but also moves forward to start attacks. He is known for being very mature on the field. He has excellent passing skills, great vision, and knows where to be on the field.
People also praise his technical skills, his smart decisions, and his ability to shoot powerfully from long distances.
Football Stats
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Porto | 2014–15 | Primeira Liga | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 0 | — | 37 | 1 | |
| 2015–16 | Primeira Liga | 22 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | 38 | 2 | ||
| 2016–17 | Primeira Liga | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 18 | 1 | ||
| Total | 59 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 20 | 0 | — | 93 | 4 | |||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2017–18 | Championship | 42 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 42 | 6 | ||
| 2018–19 | Premier League | 35 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 40 | 5 | |||
| 2019–20 | Premier League | 38 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 2 | — | 54 | 4 | ||
| 2020–21 | Premier League | 36 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 40 | 5 | |||
| 2021–22 | Premier League | 33 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 4 | |||
| 2022–23 | Premier League | 35 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 41 | 6 | |||
| Total | 219 | 27 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 2 | — | 253 | 30 | |||
| Al-Hilal | 2023–24 | Saudi Pro League | 32 | 3 | 5 | 2 | — | 9 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 54 | 8 | |
| 2024–25 | Saudi Pro League | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 1 | ||
| Total | 41 | 4 | 6 | 2 | — | 12 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 69 | 9 | |||
| Career total | 319 | 34 | 27 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 45 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 415 | 43 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal | 2015 | 2 | 0 |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 9 | 0 | |
| Total | 54 | 0 | |
Awards and Trophies
Wolverhampton Wanderers
- EFL Championship: 2017–18
Al-Hilal
- Saudi Pro League: 2023–24
- King's Cup: 2023–24
- Saudi Super Cup: 2023, 2024
Portugal U21
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship runner-up: 2015
Portugal
- UEFA Nations League: 2018–19
Individual
- UEFA European Under-17 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2014
- Confederação do Desporto de Portugal Young Prospect of the Year: 2015
- EFL Championship Team of the Season: 2017–18
- EFL Team of the Season: 2017–18
- PFA Team of the Year: 2017–18 Championship
See also
In Spanish: Rúben Neves para niños
