Rúben Neves
Ruben Diogo da Silva Neves
Written by Nuno Travassos, Catarina Pereira and Luís Mateus for A Bola:
“I always said that one of my references was Andrea Pirlo. It was by reading his book that I learned more English when I arrived at Wolverhampton. And he has a phrase there that is 'I think, therefore I play', and I started celebrating like that,” Ruben Neves explained once, when asked why he points to his head when he scores a goal. During six years at Wolves he was constantly linked with moves to the Premier League’s top clubs, but when he left, a year ago, his destination was Al-Hilal, in Saudi Arabia, coached by his compatriot Jorge Jesus. “The club project appealed to me, but also the possibility of giving my family the life I always dreamed of for them. That was, for me, the main reason that I didn't have any doubts about accepting this proposal. I have three children, my wife, and taking care of them is my greatest trophy, my greatest achievement,” he explained. Neves owns a futsal pavilion decorated by street artist Mr Dheo with references to the emblems he had on his chest, and even the goals have the midfielder's signature.
