João Neves
CMCDM
Portugal22 years
Showing2026/27 seasonAll official competitions
Preferred Positions
Last 24 months · all competitions
CM
Central midfieldMain
6,376 min · 93 apps · 71 starts
CDM
Defensive midfield
961 min · 12 apps · 12 starts
Squad importance
Current squad importance over the club’s last 40 recorded competitive games in this spell, including previous seasons. Starts and minutes contribute 70%; performance contributes 30%. Absences reduce the score gradually, with less weight when a player is outside the matchday squad.Current role at Paris Saint Germain · independent of the season filter
Important
Involvement66%
Performance51%
Through the match on 3 Nov 2026. Refreshed daily.
Profile
Career & playing style
João Neves is a Portuguese midfielder who links play through constant movement. He can come towards the ball to offer a pass, then run beyond a defender to open room for somebody else. His value lies partly in helping teammates receive with time and space.
Born in Tavira on 27 September 2004, he began playing at Casa Benfica Tavira in 2012. His route to Lisbon passed through Benfica’s training centre in Faro before he moved to the Benfica Campus for the 2016/17 season, progressing through the club’s youth teams.
He helped Benfica win the UEFA Youth League in 2022 and made his competitive first-team debut against Braga that December. The following spring brought a Portuguese league title: he scored his first Benfica first-team goal against Sporting in the penultimate round of the 2022/23 championship.
Neves joined Paris Saint-Germain in August 2024. His first season brought the French league and cup and the club’s first Champions League title. He won the European competition again in May 2026, when Paris beat Arsenal on penalties in the Budapest final.
His Portugal debut came against Bosnia and Herzegovina in October 2023, followed by an appearance at EURO 2024. In June 2025 he started the Nations League final against Spain, which Portugal won on penalties. That was his first senior international title.
At the 2026 World Cup, he started Portugal’s last-16 match against Spain on 6 July. A stoppage-time goal gave Spain a 1-0 win and ended Portugal’s tournament, a different outcome from the Nations League final a year earlier.
A sequence against Arsenal in the 2025 Champions League semi-final shows how his movement works. UEFA’s analysts highlighted Neves running forward as Bradley Barcola came back to receive: the defender followed Neves, leaving Barcola more room. In another attack, Neves moved towards the ball while Vitinha ran behind. These coordinated changes of direction give the player in possession more than one route forward.
Latest stats & form
João Neves currently plays for Paris Saint Germain as a midfielder. He has represented Portugal internationally.