Portugal and Wolverhampton Wanderers star Ruben Neves is one of the game’s visionary players — a defensive midfielder with precision passing skills and a desire to push the ball forward. In club football, he made his name with Porto before moving to England and playing a pivotal role in the remarkable resurgence of Wolverhampton Wanderers, helping them evolve from Championship contenders to a Premier League force to be reckoned with. He has also played for his country since he was 15, and was the 2015 winner of the Young Prospect of the Year Award.

Neves was born in the town of Mozelos in 1997. He joined his boyhood club, FC Porto, aged eight, and worked his way up through the ranks, often being singled out for his skills and potential. At the start of the 2014-15 season, when he was 17, Neves broke into the first team and quickly became the youngest Porto player to score in the Primeira Liga. Within a week of doing so, he also became the youngest Portuguese player to appear in a Champions League match (beating the previous record-holder Cristiano Ronaldo). As the season progressed, so he kept making history: first becoming the youngest-ever captain of a Champions League team and then the youngest Porto player to make 50 appearances for the club.

In July 2017, former Porto manager Juno Espirito Santo brought Neves to England and Wolverhampton Wanderers. His impact on the club was enormous: In his first season, the club took the Championship by storm, winning promotion with ease and style. Neves won the club’s Player of the Season, Goal of the Season, and Player’s Player of the Season Awards. He was also nominated for the EFL’s Young Player and Player of the Year Awards.