In this Portuguese name, "Neto" is a generational suffix meaning "grandson", which is used for someone whose name is the same as their father and grandfather, like "III" in English.
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:22, 8 December 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21:35, 15 November 2024 (UTC)
He started his career at Braga, who loaned him to Italian club Lazio in the summer of 2017. In 2019, he signed with Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he dealt with several injury problems. In August 2024, he joined Chelsea.
Born in Viana do Castelo, Neto joined Braga's youth system at the age of 13. On 7 May 2017, whilst still a junior, he made his professional debut with their reserves, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2–3 home loss against Porto B in the Segunda Liga.[4] The following weekend, in his first Primeira Liga appearance with the first team, he scored after only a few minutes on the pitch, helping the hosts defeat already relegatedNacional 4–0 and becoming the club's youngest ever goal scorer in the competition.[5][6]
On 31 August 2017, both Neto and teammate Bruno Jordão were loaned to Lazio of Italy for two years, with an obligation to buy both players for a combined €26 million.[7][8] He only played his first match in Serie A on 27 January 2019, replacing Bastos in the last-minute of the 1–2 home loss to Juventus.[9]
Neto's first league start occurred on 28 September 2019, when he assisted Matt Doherty's opening goal in a 2–0 victory over Watford at Molineux.[13] After having what would have been his first goal in the competition ruled out controversially by VAR at Liverpool on 29 December,[14] he scored in the next game (a 2–1 away loss to Watford on 1 January 2020), becoming the first teenager to achieve the feat for the club in the Premier League in the process.[15]
On 4 October 2020, Neto scored his first league goal for Wolves in the 2020–21 campaign in the 1–0 home defeat of Fulham.[16] A month later, he extended his contract to 2025.[17]
Neto was Sky Sports' player of the match in a league game with Arsenal on 29 November 2020, in which he scored once and set up Daniel Podence for his team's second goal in the game as they ran out 2–1 winners in their first away victory against that opposition since 1979.[18] He suffered a serious knee injury in the first half of the 1–0 away defeat of Fulham on 9 April 2021,[19][20] which ruled him out for the remainder of that season and the bulk of the following.[21][22] He finally returned on 20 February 2022, as a second-half substitute in a 2–1 home win over Leicester City.[23]
On 9 March 2022, Neto's 22nd birthday, he agreed to a new deal running until 2027.[24] On 22 May, the last day of the campaign, he scored his first goal for the club since his injury, opening an eventual 3–1 loss at Liverpool in the third minute.[25]
Neto made his 100th competitive appearance on 17 September 2022, in a 3–0 home defeat against Manchester City.[26] The following month, he suffered an ankle injury that required surgery and sidelined him for nearly five months.[27] He returned to action on 4 March 2023, playing the first half of the 1–0 home win over Tottenham Hotspur.[28]
Neto played his 100th match in the English top tier on 21 October 2023, in a 2–1 away victory against Bournemouth where he also assisted Matheus Cunha, his sixth decisive pass of the new season.[29] He scored his first-ever FA Cup goal on 28 January 2024, opening the 2–0 win at West Bromwich Albion in the fourth round.[30]
Chelsea
On 11 August 2024, Neto moved to Chelsea on a seven-year contract;[31] the deal was reported to be worth £51.3 million with £2.6 million in potential bonuses.[32] His first competitive appearance took place seven days later, as a substitute in a 2–0 league home loss against Manchester City.[33] He scored his first goal on 24 September, in the 5–0 victory over League Two side Barrow in the third round of the EFL Cup.[34]
Neto was ruled out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup due to an injury suffered with his club.[27] In spite of recurrent physical problems in the next years, he was however selected for UEFA Euro 2024 by new manager Roberto Martínez.[39][40] In the opening match against the Czech Republic, he came off the bench in the 90th minute and created the winning goal for Francisco Conceição two minutes later, which secured a 2–1 win;[41] also in the group phase, he featured the last 45 minutes of the 3–0 victory over Turkey[42] and 75 against Georgia (2–0 loss).[43]
^Rindl, Joe (24 September 2024). "Chelsea 5–0 Barrow". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
^Amaro, Miguel (5 September 2019). "Portugal arranca qualificação com goleada" [Portugal get qualifying campaign started with rout]. Record (in Portuguese). Retrieved 3 October 2019.