Rúben Neves facts for kids
Neves in 2017
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Rúben Diogo da Silva Neves | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 13 March 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Mozelos, Portugal | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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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 | 58 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||
| 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 | 58 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:19, 26 May 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:45, 8 June 2025 (UTC) |
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Rúben Diogo da Silva Neves is a professional footballer from Portugal. He was born on March 13, 1997. Rúben plays as a defensive midfielder for Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal and the Portugal national team.
Neves began his career at Porto and played his first senior game at just 17 years old. In 2017, he moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers. He played 253 games for them and scored 30 goals. He helped them win the EFL Championship in his first season. In 2023, he joined Al-Hilal.
Rúben Neves 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 was part of Portugal's teams for UEFA Euro 2020, the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and Euro 2024. He also helped Portugal win the UEFA Nations League in 2019 and 2025.
Contents
Rúben Neves: Club 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 and great skills.
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. This made him the youngest player in Porto's history to score in the league.
Five days later, he played his first UEFA Champions League match. Porto won 1–0 against Lille. He broke another record, previously held by Cristiano Ronaldo, by being the youngest Portuguese player to appear in the tournament.
In December 2014, Neves got a knee injury during a Champions League game. He was out for almost a month. After he recovered, another player, Casemiro, often played in his midfield position.
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 win against Maccabi Tel Aviv. He broke the record held by Rafael van der Vaart. On December 5, he played his 50th game for Porto. This made him the youngest player to reach 50 appearances for the club.
Moving to Wolverhampton Wanderers
On July 8, 2017, Neves joined EFL Championship club Wolverhampton Wanderers, also known as Wolves. He 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 top awards in the EFL Championship. He was also named in the Team of the Season. His team won the EFL 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, Players' 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 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. In that game, Wolves set a record for having the most Portuguese players in a starting lineup in the Premier League.
On October 6, 2018, Neves played his 50th game for Wolves. He helped set up the winning goal in a 1–0 victory over Crystal Palace. In January 2019, his goal against Liverpool in the FA Cup was voted the best goal of the third round.
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. It was later shared that his contract actually ran until 2024.
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 set up the only goal in a win against Everton. This was Wolves' 1,000th win in top-flight football. He had a knee injury later that month and was out for a while.
For the 2022–23 season, Neves became Wolves' full-time captain. He scored his first goal of the season on August 28, 2022, in a 1–1 draw with Newcastle United. In May 2023, Neves said he wanted to play in the Champions League. He was linked with Barcelona.
Joining Al Hilal
On June 23, 2023, Wolves announced that Neves was leaving the club. He joined Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal. This transfer set a new record for Wolves, as it was their highest sale.
Rúben Neves: International Career
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, at 17 years old, 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.
During the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship finals, Neves became the youngest player to debut for Portugal's Under-21s in the tournament. He was 18 years and 3 months old. Portugal reached the final but lost to Sweden in a penalty shootout.
Senior National Team
Neves was first called up to the senior national team on November 10, 2015. He made his debut in a friendly game against Russia. He played 17 minutes in the 1–0 loss. He then played the whole game in a 2–0 win against Luxembourg.
He was chosen for a bigger 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 3–1 semi-final win against Switzerland. He came on as a substitute in the final against the Netherlands. Portugal won 1–0.
Neves was one of four Wolves players in Portugal's squad for UEFA Euro 2020. He played one game in the tournament, coming on as a substitute in a 2–2 draw with France.
He was also chosen for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
In the 2025 UEFA Nations League Finals, he scored the winning penalty in the final shootout against rivals Spain. The game had ended in a 2–2 draw.
How Rúben Neves Plays
Rúben Neves is known as a defensive midfielder. This means he helps protect his team's defense. He is also good at starting attacks. He shows great maturity and has excellent passing skills. He has a good sense of where to be on the field.
People compare his playing style to another Portuguese player, João Moutinho. Neves is praised for his first touch on the ball. He also likes to pressure opponents and is good at passing the ball around. He is known for his intelligence and his powerful long-range shots.
Career Statistics
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 | 26 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 43 | 2 | ||
| Total | 58 | 4 | 6 | 2 | — | 18 | 2 | 15 | 2 | 97 | 10 | |||
| Career total | 336 | 34 | 27 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 51 | 4 | 15 | 2 | 443 | 44 | ||
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 | |
| 2025 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 58 | 0 | |
Awards and Achievements
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, 2024–25
Individual Awards
- 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
