‘Better than Zidane? It is impossible. We must be real – I know where I am’

Wolves’ Ruben Neves tells John Percy how custard tarts and snow help keep him grounded ‘We have this year to work and to put Wolves where it deserves to be’

The chant that Wolves fans have devised for Ruben Neves may be stretching it a touch, but it is a reflection of his impact in the club’s dizzying ascent over the last 12 months: “He’s Nuno Santo’s man, he’s better than Zidane.”

Neves is the undisputed star man at the centre of Molineux’s “Nuno revolution” and a player whose talents are ideally suited to the grand stage of today’s meeting with champions Manchester City. “Better than Zidane? That is impossible,” he says, laughing as he reclines in a chair at Wolves’ training ground. “It is always good to hear things like that, but we have to be real. I know where I am.

“Manchester City are one of the best teams in the world, and this is the game I was looking forward to the most when the fixtures came out. We are preparing ourselves to fight against them. We know it’s going to be a very difficult game, but we are ready.”

Wolves were compared with Pep Guardiola’s City last season, and today’s match vindicates Neves’ bold decision to swap Champions League football with his beloved Porto for the helter-skelter of the Championship.

His first season as Wolves’ then record signing was a resounding success, with the Portuguese midfielder arguably one of the best players to ever grace the division.

An elegant, commanding central midfielder with a wide range of passing, he is also renowned for spectacular goals, including an outrageous volley against Derby County in April. After flicking up the ball from a defensive clearance 35 yards out, he hit a stunning volley into the top corner.

Ever the perfectionist, even this moment of brilliance could have been improved upon. “I wasn’t happy with my first touch,” he says, laughing again. “The ball was behind me, and it was difficult. I always want the ball in front, and after that touch, I thought I can’t lose it there, so I had to shoot.

“People send me the goals on social media. The Derby one is my favourite. There was also one at Sheffield Wednesday which I really liked.”

Neves’ impact in the Black Country has helped ambitious owners Fosun achieve phase one in a “project”, which ultimately sees Wolves transformed into Champions League contenders.

His commitment to the Old Gold was underlined this summer when he signed a new five-year contract, designed to kill off interest from European heavyweights.

“We know the project of the club. They showed us this year with the signings that they are looking forward to doing very good things in the future,” he says. “For many players, it is the first year in the Premier League, so we have to be calm. We work on that, and we will try to put Wolverhampton on another level.

“I don’t look to the future. I am committed here, and I want to help the club achieve very good things. We have this year to work and to put Wolves where it deserves.”

Perhaps the most striking trait of Neves’ personality is his maturity. He only turned 21 in March, but his leadership qualities and aura of authority on the field have been evident since he captained Porto in the Champions League at the age of just 18 years and 221 days.

“I was always like that [mature], probably because of my parents. They always gave me this responsibility, to grow and learn fast,” he says.

“When I was nine my father [Jose] went to Spain to work for three years, and I was in Portugal. I only saw him once a month which was difficult. I was alone with my mother and my sister, who is younger than me, so that probably helped me to be how I am.

“My parents own a sports store in Portugal and fly over when they can. My father is now going to be a coach with a Portuguese team, so it will be a little bit more difficult for him to come over.”

Family is “everything” for Neves. He lives in Tettenhall, a small village just under two miles from Molineux, with fiancee Debora, and one-year old daughter Margarida. A favourite haunt is Aromas De Portugal, a coffee shop where he picks up supplies of pastel de natas, the custard tarts so beloved in his home country.

The presence of Nuno, his former manager at Porto, has been instructive. “He is an ambitious coach. He always wants to be better,” says Neves. “Even if we win 4-0, in the next game, he wants to be better than that. “That motivates us to play well and do all the things in games. He always wants the best for the players he has. He started to improve the club, put in some players he knows have quality, and in two years, we are now in the Premier League, so it is very good work.