“We didn’t stop asking” – Two Man City players kept asking the club to sign a player who later became a superstar.
Two Manchester City players really pushed their club to sign a future star, but unfortunately, the team missed out on him. Usually, footballers don’t have much say in transfers, but at City, Portuguese stars Bernardo Silva and Ruben Dias kept urging the Blues not to miss out on Joao Neves.
Neves, who like Silva and Dias came from Benfica’s academy, had an amazing breakthrough season with the Lisbon club at just 18 years old. His performance helped Benfica win the league, and many clubs showed interest in him. Silva and Dias were so impressed from training with him in Portugal that they kept telling City not to let him slip away.
However, City didn’t manage to sign him, and in 2024 Neves joined Paris Saint-Germain for £50 million. “We have a funny story with Ruben Dias, from the European Championship in Germany,” Silva told DAZN. “We knew Neves was close to signing with PSG, so Ruben and I kept calling City, telling them not to lose him. But City had other priorities in midfield and decided not to go ahead. We kept bugging them, but in the end, they passed.”
Now, City might be a bit sorry after seeing how great Neves has become. He’s been fantastic at PSG, playing 96 games and scoring 14 goals. Later, City signed Nico Gonzalez for £50 million after Rodri got injured. But with Silva leaving on a free transfer, City really need new midfielders. Elliot Anderson, Adam Wharton, and Enzo Fernandez are some names being considered.
Neves hasn’t slowed down either. He’s won back-to-back Ligue 1 titles with PSG and helped the team win the Champions League last season as part of a treble. At just 21, he’s one of the best midfielders in the world, alongside his partner Vitinha, with another Champions League final coming up.
He’s played 21 times for Portugal and is part of their strong 26-man World Cup squad, alongside Silva, Dias, Bruno Fernandes, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who is competing in his sixth and final tournament.