Tom Kundert profiles the teenage midfielder who's already the first name on Julen Lopetegui's teamsheet.. a raft of young footballers leap to the attention of talent scouts and observers with eye-catching performances What makes Ruben Neves a case apart is a level of consistency that is completely unbefitting of a footballer of his tender years The 18-year-old has been so unfailingly good since beating off fierce competition to claim his spot in Porto’s starting XI that startlingly little was made of the fact that he was handed the captain’s armband by manager Julen Lopetegui Neves had become the leader of two-time European champions FC Porto as if it was the most natural decision in the world Neves also possesses excellent vision and speed of thought as well as just the right amount of controlled aggression the youngster is a perfect example of what the Portuguese call a “pre-destinado” – which can be translated simply as “born footballer” He would subsequently play in Porto’s Champions League qualifiers breaking another record - previously owned by Cristiano Ronaldo - as the youngest ever Portuguese footballer to play in Europe’s foremost club competition Neves exploded onto the scene a little over a year ago when new Porto coach Lopetegui called him up to train with the senior squad in pre-season despite the fact he had only turned 17 three months earlier It was an even bigger surprise when the Spanish coach who made his name nurturing many top talents at U19 chose him as a starter in Porto’s opening league game against Maritimo especially as Porto had spent millions on a rebuilding job that summer becoming Porto’s youngest-ever goalscorer in the league to boot breaking another record – previously owned by Cristiano Ronaldo – as the youngest-ever Portuguese footballer to play in Europe’s foremost club competition becoming the competition's youngest-ever skipper against Maccabi Tel Aviv the midfielder made an impressive 37 appearances in 2014/15 but Neves has upped his game further this term Despite competing for a spot in Porto’s midfield with record signing Giannelli Imbula full Portugal internationals Danilo and André Andre most Porto fans would insist Neves should be the first name on Lopetegui’s teamsheet ability to read the game and tactical awareness means he is always involved in the play and he seems to have more time on the ball than the mere mortals around him He also possesses an acute awareness of what is needed at each particular moment as well as flawless technique to solve every problem with the correct solution well-judged use of a moderately aggressive streak and dangerous shooting from distance are particular features of his game but it is his unremitting consistency – an almost total absence of mistakes – that is Neves's biggest asset Although a discount must be made given he is a holding midfielder Neves’s dearth of goals could be improved upon especially as he possesses a powerful and accurate shot The teenager has scored four times for Portugal's U17s and U21s but hit the net just once in 43 appearances for Porto FC Porto B team coach: “People talk about his technical and tactical talent but Ruben Neves has extraordinary talent in terms of his mentality He plays the game with incredible calmness and knows what each passage of play asks of him.” Since beginning his trajectory at Porto in 2005 as an eight-year-old kid Neves has never budged from the same holding midfield role “He always played in that key position He’s not an exuberant lad but when he speaks everybody listens to him,” said Porto youth coach Jose Guilherme The Jorge Mendes-represented (who else?) Neves has been increasingly linked with moves to Europe’s very biggest teams Juventus and Real Madrid were among the first clubs reported to be tracking him while Jurgen Klopp’s recent appointment as Liverpool manager led to a torrent of articles claiming Neves was among his top targets Neves insisted he was in no rush to leave Portugal: “I’m not going to talk about foreign teams I’m focused only on this stage of my career.” Read also Eliud Kipchoge biography: Net worth, wife, olympics, house, shoes Ruben Diogo da Silva Neves was born on 13 March 1997 to Mr and Mrs Jose Neves. He grew up in a small middle-class family household in Portugal. Where was Ruben Neves born? He was born in Mozelos, Portugal. Read also Throughout his childhood, Neves supported FC Porto and always wore the team’s jersey. His parents owned a retail business that sold sporting goods. He had relatives who played football, and that made him want to be like them. His parents enrolled him on the roster of a local team in Mozelos called Lusitania de Lourosa. But his ambitions were to play for his childhood dream club, FC Porto. When he turned eight years old, he joined the FC Porto youth system. At the FC Porto academy, Neves went on loan to Padroense, where he spent one season and played for the team’s under-16. Is Ruben Neves married? Yes. The Portuguese international has a wife and two children. Ruben Neves' wife's name is Debora. He asked Debora to marry him in May 2018. Ruben has two children. His firstborn is a girl child called Margarida. Margarida was born in 2017, a day after the Portuguese midfielder played his first game. Neves’ second-born child is a boy named Martim. Martim was born in 2019. Read also Ruben Neves of Wolverhampton Wanderers celebrates after scoring a goal to make it 1-1 during the Premier League match. Photo: Sam BagnallSource: Getty ImagesRuben Neves’ professional career began in the 2014-2015 season. Initially, FC Porto had slated him to play for the reserve team. However, the head coach called him to join the senior squad for the pre-season Ruben made his professional debut for FC Porto in the Primeira Liga helping his team win 2-0 against DC Maritimo The goal meant he became the youngest player in FC Porto’s history to score a goal in the league Neves played his first game in the UEFA Champions League at 17 against Lille He broke another record held by Cristiano Ronaldo for being the youngest Portuguese player to appear in the UEFA Champions League. In 2015, Neves was 18 years old when he captained for FC Porto in the Champions League against Maccabi Tel Aviv. He helped his team win 2-0 and became the youngest player to start as captain. Read also In 2016, Neves scored his second goal for FC Porto in a competitive match against Gil Vicente. He opened the scoreline in a 3-0 win for the semi-finals of the Teca de Portugal. After playing for FC Porto for three years, he agreed to join Wolverhampton Wanderers The English Championship side signed him for an undisclosed fee, with several UK publications estimating the amount to be around £15.8 million Neves scored his first goal for the new club on 15 August 2017 against Hull City in a 3-2 away win He has enjoyed several milestones as a Wolves player In July 2018, he extended his contract with Wolves to keep him at the club until 2023. On 6 October 2018, the Portuguese midfielder made his 50th appearance for Wolves. In September 2019, he became Wolves captain for the first time as the team progressed to the 2019-2020 EFL Cup. On 6 March 2021, Neves made his 100th appearance for Wolves in the Premier League. Read also Kalvin Phillips: parents, ethnicity, family, background, life story Ruben Neves had a brilliant style of play that made him an ideal candidate for the international team. He represented Portugal for the first time at the 2014 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. His team reached the semi-finals, and he became one of the best performers in the tournament. On 29 August 2014, he became part of the under-21 Portugal side and scored his first goal in a 5-4 home win against the Netherlands in the 2015 UEFA. On 10 November 2015, he made it to the senior squad of the Portugal National team. Neves made his debut in a 0-1 loss against Russia. Neves played for Portugal in the 2019 UEFA National League Finals in a 3-1 semi-final win against Switzerland. In 2021, he made the roster of the 26-man squad for the EURO 2020. Here is Neves’ transfer history since he joined FC Porto youth. Read also Ruben Neves transfer fee since his professional debut is £15.8 million Ruben Neves is a Portuguese international who plays as a midfielder for Wolverhampton Wanderers and Portugal National team He was born in Mozelos and grew up with his sister The midfielder joined Wolves FC in 2017 after moving from FC Porto He has been the team’s central playmaker for years and even helped it gain promotion to the English Premier League from the Championship Tuko.co.ke shared an article on Thomas Partey biography, childhood, salary, wife, position, and stats. He rose to fame when he joined the Atletico Madrid team. He was loaned to Almeria and Mallorca before he made a comeback to Atletico Madrid. Internationally, he has made several appearances for the Ghana national football team, and he is the current vice-captain of the team. Thomas has risen from humble beginnings to become one of the most sought-after midfielders in the world today. 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