Ruben Neves is undoubtedly a Wolves legend, and Conor Coady’s very first impression of him at the club makes for amusing listening.
The Portuguese maestro joined the club back in the summer of 2017, in a transfer that certainly raised eyebrows at the time.
Ruben Neves, who had captained FC Porto in the Champions League, came to Molineux in a deal worth just under £16 million.
There was instantly a feeling that Wolves had signed a player of serious quality.
And of course, that proved to be the case, with Neves turning in many top performances in midfield on the way to helping Wolves gain promotion to the Premier League.
Neves would then thrive in the top-flight, but sadly in 2023, the midfielder brought his love affair with Wolves and the club’s fans to an end.
He joined Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal, but many fans hope to see him return one day.
Conor Coady had a surprising first impression of Ruben Neves at Wolves
It did not take long for Wolves fans to really love Neves.
He was just a cut above playing in the Championship, and he regularly lifted fans out of their chairs with his eye for the spectacular.
But interestingly, Conor Coady actually had reservations about Neves when he first came in from Porto.
Coady – another player who remains a firm favourite with the Molineux faithful to this day – recalled playing with Neves in a pre-season friendly against Shrewsbury Town.
He said in a video on the Wolves YouTube channel back in 2022: “I’d obviously seen things, we’re signing Neves, he was incredible for us at the time. But you don’t actually know until he starts training and playing.
“I remember playing Shrewsbury in pre-season and he went off injured. I remember after the game – I think we got beat. We came back from Austria. I remember thinking to myself, I thought ‘I don’t know if he’s going to find it hard’, because it was a tough game that.
“And he went off, and I just ate my words completely after the next training session! He’s just an incredible footballer. The character we’ve got within our dressing room is amazing. We’re just lucky to have him here, because he’s the best footballer I’ve ever played with.”
What Ruben Neves has said about a potential Wolves return
It is remarkable to think that Coady had this opinion about Neves at the very start.
Thankfully, the physicality of English football was never something that hindered the Portuguese maestro – he was simply too technically talented for a lot of players to even get near him to cause him issues.
Wolves fans still hold Neves dear to their hearts.
Many would simply love to see him back in the old gold shirt one day, and Neves did leave the door open to potentially come back to Wolves later in his career.
He said: “I don’t like to speak about that because life changes a lot. Of course, this is a special home for me and a special home for my family, so Wolves will always be in our minds and there will always be a chance.
“But I don’t want to create expectations to anyone, because we know how football is, we don’t know what will even happen tomorrow. But for sure, it’s an open door for me. I believe that if I can choose, Wolves will always be one of the options, for sure – but I don’t know what can happen.”