Pedro Neto

Written by Nuno Travassos, Catarina Pereira and Luís Mateus for A Bola:

With injuries having deprived the forward of playing at Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup, Neto was delighted to be back on the pitch for the final day of the 2023-24 season, even if it was for only 12 minutes against Liverpool. It was enough, however, to convince Roberto Martínez to take a gamble on the talented 24-year-old. The son of a roller hockey player and a volleyball player, Neto grew up in a sporting family. It was not until he was 12 that he put away his skates and focused on football. He was the first player born in the 2000s to represent the Portuguese national team and scored on his debut (in November 2020, aged 20, against Andorra). “Hope is always the last thing to die,” said his father regarding the player’s chances to play at Euro 2024. “Of course we had some doubts because he wasn’t 100% fit at one stage. He has been unlucky with injuries but this time it went well.”