In the first of a new series, Portuguese winger Pedro Neto discusses the ups and downs of his early days as a young footballer when he was trying to make his way into the game
Who was your role model when you were growing up?
My first role model when I was young and growing up was Cristiano Ronaldo, for sure. He is Portuguese as well and he is one of the best players in the world. His character and his work ethic was always an example to me.
Did you have a mentor who helped guide you?
Regarding a mentor, it was always my parents. The education and making me who I am today, it is all because of them. It’s because of the values that they gave me and because of the mentality that they put into me as well. I developed alone as well, but with all their help I was able to grow mentally as well.
What setbacks did you have to overcome?
When I was younger, I remember that I went to Braga and I was not playing. It was a difficult time for me and I wanted to go back home, but my father said that I had to finish my season there first and if I wanted to go, I could only go at the end of the season. When I was 15/16-years-old, I wanted to go back to my home town, but he told me that I had to finish the season, but by that time, I had started to play and was much happier, so I decided to stay there.
What was your biggest success as a young player?
I think when I started to play for Braga, that was my biggest success as a young player. After that first year, that was when things started to go really well. I started to play more time, I started to enjoy my time more, and it was because of what I went through there that my career has been what it has. All the adversities and the things that you go through, all the injuries, all the difficult moments you have when you don’t play, it’s what makes you stronger, and those difficult moments make you better and better.
Do you have any moments you still remember from that time?
The biggest moment in my career, for sure, was signing for Wolves. Coming here to this club, and since I arrived here, it has given me everything that I wanted when I first started playing football as a young boy.
What have you learned most between then and now?
It’s all about mental strength. I learned that the difficult path is always the most beautiful one. With all the difficult moments you have in your life, it makes you who you are and you can get stronger and stronger with each setback.
This article originally featured in Wolves' official 2023/24 matchday programme. Last season's programmes are still available to purchase online through retailers Curtis Sports.
