One of the most anticipated debuts of this World Cup, the Portuguese team, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, took to the field this Wednesday (17) to face the Democratic Republic of Congo. After just six minutes, the score was opened with a header from João Neves, Paris Saint-Germain midfielder who, at 21 years old, already has two Champions League cups (2024-2025 and 2025-2026).
Born in Tavira, south of Portugal, Neves began playing for Benfica’s youth teams and debuted with the professional team in 2022. He won two titles with the Portuguese club until he was bought, in 2024, for €60 million (the equivalent of around R$375 million at the time). Since then, he has accumulated eight more cups, two of which were PSG’s second Champions League title.
Last season, he scored 7 goals and provided 4 assists in 38 games.
The midfielder debuted for the national team in October 2023 in a match against Bosnia in the European Cup qualifiers. In June 2025, he was part of the team that won the UEFA Nations League for the second time.
His first goals with the Portugal shirt came in a match against Armenia, also in the Qualifiers, in which he scored three goals. The fourth goal for the team came in his World Cup debut, this Tuesday.
Pedro Neto crossed into the area and Neves, who is 1.71 m tall, rose to head the ball into the net.
At the end of the first stage, DR Congo reached equality with Wissa, a player from Newcastle, England.
