Forward · #7
Pedro Neto
Portugal · 5'9" · 26
His role
Neto is the speed option on either flank. Alonso has used him to replace a wing-back and add direct running late in games. He stretches tired defences, attacks the space behind them and can carry the ball from Chelsea's half into the box.
His story
- 01Record
He scored minutes into his first game for Braga
Neto came off the bench for Braga as a teenager and scored within minutes, becoming the youngest league scorer in the club's history. A move to Lazio brought only three appearances in two years, but Wolves gave him a way forward. He scored and assisted on his debut there, then became their Player of the Year by 2021.
- 02Drama
Chelsea paid £51m for the brilliance between the injuries
Wolves spent five years watching Neto produce something extraordinary, disappear with another muscle injury and fight his way back again. Chelsea decided the flashes were worth £51.3m. In his first season he delivered the club's Goal of the Season, then finished it with Conference League and Club World Cup medals.
- 03Off the pitch
Football runs in the family
Neto grew up with a professional footballer already in the family: his uncle, Sérgio Lomba. He joined Braga's academy at thirteen and followed that example much further, playing in Portugal, Italy and England. The journey has also taken him to a European Championship and a World Cup with Portugal.
Career
Sporting Braga2016–2017
Lazio2018
Wolverhampton Wanderers2019–2023
Chelsea2024–
