 Neves withPortugal during the2022 FIFA World Cup | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rúben Diogo da Silva Neves[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1997-03-13)13 March 1997 (age 28)[2] | |||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Mozelos, Portugal | |||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[3] | |||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Defensive midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | 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 | 67 | (8) | |||||||||||||||||
| 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 | 63 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17:21, 22 November 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 17:03, 16 November 2025 (UTC) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Rúben Diogo da Silva Neves (Portuguese pronunciation:[nɛvʃ], born 13 March 1997) is a Portuguese professionalfootballer who plays as adefensive midfielder forSaudi Pro League clubAl-Hilal and thePortugal national team.[4]
Neves started his career withPorto and made his first-team debut at the age of 17. He joinedWolverhampton Wanderers in 2017 for a reported transfer fee of £15.8 million. He made 253 appearances and scored 30 goals for them, winning theEFL Championship in hisfirst season. In 2023, he signed for Al-Hilal for a fee of £47 million.
Neves made more than 60 appearances for Portugal's national youth teams. He made his senior international debut for Portugal at the age of 18 in 2015, and was part of their squads atUEFA Euro 2020, the2022 FIFA World Cup andEuro 2024. He also won theUEFA Nations League in2019 and2025.
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Born inMozelos,Aveiro District, Neves grew up supportingPorto and joined the club's youth system at the age of eight.[5][6] During his time with the academy, he also spent a season onloan atPadroense which acted as the under-16 team;[7] on his time in the youth structures,reserve team managerLuís Castro described him as a player with "extraordinary mental qualities, to go along with technical and tactical skills".[6]
Ahead of the2014–15 season, Neves was earmarked to bypass Porto's under-19s and play with the reserves instead. Following an injury to teammateMikel Agu, however, he was called byJulen Lopetegui to be part of the main squad's pre-season preparations.[8] On 15 August 2014, aged 17 years and five months, he made hisPrimeira Liga debut where he started and scored in a 2–0 home win againstMarítimo – in doing so, he became the youngest player in the club's history to score a goal in the competition.[9] He played his first match in theUEFA Champions League five days later in a 1–0 win overLille, and broke another record, previously held byCristiano Ronaldo, by being the youngest Portuguese to appear in the tournament.[6][10]
On 10 December 2014, during aChampions League group stage fixture againstShakhtar Donetsk, Neves suffered an injury to his right knee following a collision in midfield withAlex Teixeira. At the end of the game, the club explained that he suffered a sprain, with apparent damage to the internal lateral ligament.[11] After spending nearly a month on the sidelines, he returned to the pitch in a 3–1 home win overUnião da Madeira in theTaça da Liga.[12] Following his injury, his role in midfield was filled byCasemiro and he spent the majority of the remainder of the season behind the Brazilian in the pecking order.[6]
On 20 October 2015, aged 18 years and 221 days, Neves became the youngest player to start ascaptain in the Champions League, helping Porto to a 2–0 win againstMaccabi Tel Aviv inthe group stage and surpassing previous record holderRafael van der Vaart, who held it since 16 September 2003.[13] On 5 December, in a 2–1 win overPaços de Ferreira also at theEstádio do Dragão, he broke another record by becoming the youngest player to make 50 appearances for the club, surpassing players likeFernando Gomes andJaime Magalhães.[14]
On 8 July 2017, Neves signed forEFL Championship clubWolverhampton Wanderers for an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of £15.8 million – a club and league record fee.[15] Upon joining, he was reunited with former Porto managerNuno Espírito Santo.[16] He scored his first goal on 15 August, in a 3–2 away win overHull City.[17] In April 2018, Neves 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 teammatesConor Coady andJohn Ruddy.[18] His team was ultimatelypromoted as champions with the player scoring 6 goals in 42 appearances, all of which were scored from outside of the box.[19][20] At the conclusion of the season, he claimed a hat-trick of club awards as he walked away with the Player of the Season, Player's Player of the Season and Goal of the Season accolades.[16] He was also awarded the EFL Goal of the Year award for 2018 for his goal againstDerby County atMolineux on 11 April 2018.[21][22]
Wolves announced that Neves had signed a new contract in July 2018, extending until June 2023.[23] In the first match ofthe new season, he scored his firstPremier League goal andassistedRaúl Jiménez in the latter's competitive debut, as his team twice came from behind to draw 2–2 againstEverton.[24][25] His appearance in the match, alongside compatriotsRui Patrício,João Moutinho,Diogo Jota andHélder Costa, also saw the club break the league record for the most Portuguese players named in a starting line-up.[19]
On 6 October 2018, Neves made his 50th appearance for Wolves and marked the occasion by contributing in the build-up forMatt Doherty's winning goal in a 1–0 victory overCrystal Palace.[16] The following January, his 55th-minute winning goal againstLiverpool at Molineux in theFA Cup, "a venomous dipping shot from 31 yards (28 m) that beatSimon Mignolet at his near post",[26] was voted the best goal ofthe third round by visitors toBBC Sport's website.[27]
On 25 September 2019, Neves was made Wolves' club captain for the first time, when he led the team in the absence of regular captain Conor Coady as Wolves secured progression to the2019–20 EFL Cup fourth round with a penalty shoot-out victory overReading at Molineux in the third round.[28] He made his 100th appearance in the Premier League in a goalless draw atAston Villa on 6 March 2021.[29] That May, it was revealed that his contract was in fact running until 2024.[30]
Neves made his 200th competitive appearance for Wolves in all competitions in 2–0 win away toTottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on 13 February 2022.[31] On 13 March, his 25th birthday, he assisted the only goal by Coady in a victory at Everton that constituted Wolves's 1,000th win in top-flight football (over 67 seasons dating back to 1888) and also sealed the club's first league double over that opponent since1972–73.[32][33][34] Days later, his knee injury from the first half of a home game againstLeeds United ruled him out for a month.[35] He returned on 30 April againstBrighton & Hove Albion, but was substituted at half-time.[36]
In the first game of the2022–23 season againstLeeds United on 6 August 2022, Neves took the captain's armband as Conor Coady was kept on the substitutes' bench.[37] He was made Wolves’ captain on a full-time basis after the defender departed on loan to Everton.[38] Neves scored his first goal of the season, and his twenty-fifth in a Wolves shirt, in a 1–1 Premier League draw withNewcastle United at Molineux on 28 August.[39]
In May 2023, with uncertainty over his future and one year remaining on his contract, Neves publicly said that he wanted to play in the Champions League.[40] He was linked withBarcelona.[41][42]
On 23 June 2023, Wolves confirmed Neves' departure from the club.[43] Saudi Arabia'sAl Hilal confirmed the transfer which set a new record sale for Wolverhampton Wanderers reported to be £47 million.[44]
Neves representedPortugal at the2014 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, helping the country reach the semi-finals as captain. For his performances, he was named among the top ten talents of the tournament by a selection ofUEFA reporters.[45]
On 29 August 2014, still aged 17, Neves was called by coachRui Jorge to be part of theunder-21 team.[46] He scored his first goal on 14 October in a 5–4 home win against theNetherlands inthe play-off round of the2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.[47]
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 3 months, playing five minutes to help beatEngland 1–0 in thegroup stage opener.[48] It was his only appearance, as Portugal reachedthe final, which they lost toSweden in apenalty shoot-out.[49]
Neves was first called up tothe senior team on 10 November 2015, ahead offriendlies againstRussia andLuxembourg as an injury replacement for João Moutinho.[50] He made his debut in the former match, featuring 17 minutes in the 1–0 loss inKrasnodar,[51] before playing the entire 2–0 win against the latter at theStade Josy Barthel, sharing the midfield with Porto teammatesDanilo Pereira andAndré André.[52][53]
Neves was selected by managerFernando Santos for a preliminary 35-man squad for the2018 FIFA World Cup,[54] but did not make the final 23-man squad.[55]
At the2019 UEFA Nations League Finals on home soil, Neves played in the 3–1 semi-final win overSwitzerland, but was dropped from the starting eleven for thefinal against theNetherlands for the more defensive Danilo.[56] In that match at his former club ground theDragão, he came on in added time forWilliam Carvalho as the Portuguese won 1–0.[57]
Neves was one of four Wolves players included in the Portugal squad forUEFA Euro 2020.[58] He made his sole appearance in the delayed competition on 23 June, as a substitute in a 2–2 group draw withFrance inBudapest.[59]
Neves was chosen for the2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[60]
He played for Portugal in the2025 UEFA Nations League Finals, scoring the winning penalty in thefinal shoot-out against rivalsSpain, following a 2–2 draw.[61]
On 29 August 2025, it was announced that Neves would wear the number 21 shirt in honour of former teammate and close friendDiogo Jota, who died in a car crash two months prior.[62]
On 11 October 2025, Neves scored his first senior international goal, a stoppage-time header assisted byFrancisco Trincão, in Portugal's 1–0 home victory against theRepublic of Ireland during2026 FIFA World Cup qualification.[63]
An article onUEFA's website described Neves as adefensive 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 teammateJoão Moutinho for his fine first touch, similar desire to press his opponents and excellent distribution.[64] Neves also drew praise in the media for his technical, tactical and mental qualities,[6] as well as his intelligence and long-range shooting ability.[65]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Porto | 2014–15[66] | Primeira Liga | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9[c] | 0 | — | 37 | 1 | |
| 2015–16[67] | Primeira Liga | 22 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8[d] | 0 | — | 38 | 2 | ||
| 2016–17[68] | Primeira Liga | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3[c] | 0 | — | 18 | 1 | ||
| Total | 59 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 20 | 0 | — | 93 | 4 | |||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2017–18[69] | Championship | 42 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 42 | 6 | ||
| 2018–19[70] | Premier League | 35 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 40 | 5 | |||
| 2019–20[71] | Premier League | 38 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13[e] | 2 | — | 54 | 4 | ||
| 2020–21[72] | Premier League | 36 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 40 | 5 | |||
| 2021–22[73] | Premier League | 33 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 4 | |||
| 2022–23[74] | 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[75] | Saudi Pro League | 32 | 3 | 5 | 2 | — | 9[f] | 2 | 8[g] | 1 | 54 | 8 | |
| 2024–25[76] | Saudi Pro League | 26 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 9[f] | 0 | 7[h] | 1 | 43 | 2 | ||
| 2025–26[77] | Saudi Pro League | 9 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | 4[f] | 0 | — | 14 | 4 | |||
| Total | 67 | 8 | 7 | 2 | — | 22 | 2 | 15 | 2 | 111 | 14 | |||
| Career total | 345 | 38 | 28 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 55 | 4 | 15 | 2 | 457 | 48 | ||
| 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 | 9 | 1 | |
| Total | 63 | 1 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 October 2025 | Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal | 60 |  Republic of Ireland | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Al-Hilal
Portugal U21
Portugal
Individual
Portugal squads | |||||||||||||
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