At 21, João Neves, midfielder for Paris Saint-Germain, spoke to the club’s website about his childhood, marked by self-doubt related to his small stature and perceived physical limitations. He revealed how he compensated with intelligence and intuition. This rare maturity led him to become a key player for PSG, the European champions.
Neves: “They look down on me because of my height”
Neves as a child (retro)
“They look down on me because of my height and because I’m not very strong physically. But intelligence counts too. When you don’t have the right body, you have to be intelligent. It’s inexplicable. I just do it, I don’t think about it. Everyone tells me: ‘No, it’s not about physique. It’s all in your head.'”
Neves: “It becomes intuition”
Neves reacts to the video.
I was 14 or 15 years old, I don’t remember exactly. That’s when I was first called up to the Portuguese under-15 team. They chose four or five players, and I was one of them, but when I say in that video that they looked down on me because of my strength and height, I meant that, in a match against me, in a duel, there wasn’t anyone so strong, because they thought they were going to win.
They were surprised by the way I played, because I never failed to give 100% in any duel or any action of the game. That’s why I said they looked down on me, even in their chants.
You had to mark a player to avoid a header; they always marked the tallest ones and ended up leaving me alone. So my maturity, my way of seeing things, always had to be a little more advanced than others’. I had to know how to position myself, when to jump, and understand the timing.
And it’s all about repeating your actions. The more you practice in training and matches, the more you refine your actions, and the more you reach a point where you act without thinking. It becomes intuition.
Neves: “I think I’ve always had this vision of football.”
These days, football is increasingly tactical. I think the intelligence of knowing how to position yourself, when to take one or two touches, when to advance the ball, when to stop play, when to accelerate, is probably the most important factor in football today.
Obviously, the more stamina you have, the stronger you are, the faster you are, the better you play. But I don’t think that’s the most important thing. I think I’ve always had this vision of football: you have to be more intelligent, to anticipate movements, to anticipate actions.
Neves: “Midfield has always been the best choice for me.”
So I didn’t see myself as a striker or a defender. Midfield has always been the best choice for me. Because I want to be a complete player, I want to be able to do a bit of everything. And I think football is very much linked to midfield, defense, attack, movement, and winning back possession. So I think I’ve found the position that suits me best on the pitch. Regarding the goals this season, our game, as everyone knows, isn’t a game where we use the number 9, the center forward.
As a number 9, we use a false nine more often. Midfielders are increasingly getting into the box, and more and more of our full-backs are doing so. So it’s about getting into the box, seizing the opportunity to shoot, not being afraid to take risks. And I think I’m improving in that area. I’ve always said that scoring goals and getting into the box was one of the things I needed to improve.
But I wasn’t in a hurry. Fortunately, things are picking up now, and we need to keep moving forward because I’ve always followed my father’s words: “The hardest thing isn’t getting there, it’s staying there.” So the hardest part is maintaining this level, this rhythm. But, as I always say, for me, goals aren’t as important as the team winning.
Neves: “We have a great responsibility this year.”
It’s a motivational boost for the individual. But as everyone knows, and rightly so, we have a great responsibility this year. We are the reigning Champions League winners, but beyond that, it’s one game at a time. We know we will almost certainly qualify for the next round among the 24. But our goal is to finish in the top eight, and that’s what we have to do, game after game, just like we did last year.
Last year was a horrible season for PSG in terms of the Champions League, and it ended that way. But we took things one step at a time. We had nothing to lose, and I think it’s the same this year. We know we have a responsibility; we are the current Champions League holders, but we know we have the quality and the right team to win it again.
