Wolves fans were left buzzing last night as former captain Ruben Neves enjoyed one of the best moments of his career to date with Portugal.
Portugal took on Spain in the final of the UEFA Nations League, and were looking to win their second title, after winning in 2019 in the inaugural season.
It had been billed as the Cristiano Ronaldo vs Yamine Lamal show ahead of the game.
But it was Nuno Mendes who was arguably the outstanding player, with the Paris Saint-Germain full-back cementing his standing as the best left-back in the world.
The game finished 2-2 after 90 minutes, and it stayed that way after extra time.
That meant a penalty shootout – and it was Portugal who came out on top.
Diogo Costa produced a save from Alvaro Morata, which then opened the gate for Ruben Neves to make history for Portugal.
He made no mistake from the spot, going to the bottom left corner.
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Ruben Neves sends message on Instagram after winning the Nations League for Portugal against Spain
Photo by Sebastian Widmann - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Photo by Sebastian Widmann – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Portugal have now won the most UEFA Nations League titles, moving clear of France and Spain having now won twice.
It is still up for debate whether the Nations League counts as a major trophy.
But those Portugal players, and especially Cristiano Ronaldo, will argue that it is.
It was great to see Ruben Neves at the very forefront of a moment in history for the nation, scoring the winning penalty.
Neves did not start the game last night against Spain, but came on at half-time and helped turn the contest for Roberto Martinez’s side, who were 2-1 down.
Neves fired in his penalty in the shootout, and shortly after the game he took to Instagram to mark the occasion, writing: “What a moment 🥹 we are the champions, Portugal is the champion ❤️.”
A satisfying moment for Neves – and Wolves fans
What a moment for Neves, and the reaction from Wolves fans on social media last night just summed up the regard in which he is still held at Molineux.
It was a moment he deserved as well, having been a brilliant player in his career and fantastic servant for Wolves.
It is also interesting to note that Neves has remained a big part of the Portugal setup, when many felt his move to Saudi Arabia would not be good for his international prospects.
Martinez has continued to call him up, and although he didn’t start last night, the manager clearly likes what he brings to the table.
Neves was criticised for making his move to Saudi, but arguably it has worked out really well so far.
Perhaps next year though he’ll look to return to Europe, with Wolves fans holding out for a return to Molineux for Neves.