Wolves fans were delighted to see Ruben Neves back at Molineux recently.
The former skipper was in attendance for the Premier League game with Southampton just before the international break, and the Portuguese proved to be something of a good luck charm.
Wolves won for the first time in the league, beating the Saints 2-0 thanks to a big performance from Matheus Cunha.
Cunha said after that Wolves should have Neves back at Molineux more often, and few fans would disagree.
Neves is held in extremely high regard at Molineux for all he did for the club, and left the club in 2023 with the blessing of supporters.
The man to replace him as captain was Mario Lemina, and Neves has now shared his thoughts on his successor.
Ruben Neves pays tribute to ‘fantastic’ Wolves captain Mario Lemina
It’s been an interesting season for Lemina.
Lemina was named Supporters’ Player of the Season at Wolves at the end of 2023/24, after he’d put in so many brilliant performances.
He often featured out of position as he sacrificed himself for the team, and Lemina also had to deal with personal tragedy in the middle of the season when he sadly lost his father.
Despite everything, he was amazing and he completely deserved to win Player of the Season.
This term, Lemina has not quite been on top form. But fans will back him to improve. His quality is certainly not lost on Neves.
He told the E&S: “I see him as a captain of course, he’s a big character.
“He helped us a lot when he came in January that season. We were struggling a lot and he came and he helped us a lot until the end of the season. He’s a fantastic player.
“He’s a fantastic guy outside the pitch but you have a few players that could be in that position as well.
“I think together they are a very good group of captains at the moment because you have Mario of course, you have Nelson who has been here for a long time as well. We have Sa. These are people that have been here for a while.”
Another former Wolves captain Conor Coady also hailed Lemina recently, describing him as ‘one of the most underrated midfielders in the Premier League.
Lemina has been a brilliant signing for Wolves
Lemina has had a bit of a tough season so far and the captain’s armband may have weighed heavier than he thought it would.
But he has still been a wonderful signing for the club.
Had he not come in when he did in January 2023 then who knows where Wolves would actually be right now.
| Mario Lemina for Wolves (January 2023-present) |
| Appearances – 71 |
| Minutes played – 5517 |
| Goals – 6 |
| Assists – 4 |
He and Craig Dawson were massive additions for Wolves, with their experience, authority, consistency and leadership proving key in the battle to survive.
Lemina then followed that up with a terrific 2023/24 campaign.
Some have questioned him this season regarding his suitability as captain, with suggestions that he might be too emotional for the role. Many saw how he reacted after the defeat to Liverpool and felt this was strange.
But Lemina is a great choice to be Wolves captain as he has the respect of all his teammates, is a big personality and is someone who can be inspirational on the pitch.