At times in recent months Wolves supporters have found themselves checking the age of Mateus Mane. Yes, the man scoring past the England goalkeeper and nutmegging the legs of champions is just 18.
In the space of one month, Mane catapulted from a promising youngster vying for minutes to one of Wolves’ biggest goal threats, making him a trusted ally of head coach Rob Edwards.
The attacker has taken the jump from under-21 football to the first-team in his stride, but he’s used to that. In little over a year, Mane hopped from grassroots football to the Premier League, via a brief but productive stint in the National League with Rochdale.
Mane’s route to the top flight is different from your average 18-year-old. He was born in Portugal in 2007 to parents from Guinea-Bissau – a country he’s yet to visit but intends to. He spent the first eight years of his life in Portugal, where he experienced his first taste of football with his older brother, which would prove a trend throughout his journey in the game.
“The first thing I really remember is playing football with my brother,” he revealed. “He’s a few years older than me and in Portugal we used to have a library, and there was a little pitch outside. I used to come home with bruises everywhere, so my mum thought I’d got in a fight.
“They're my favourite memories, playing with my brother and his friends, teaching me how physical it is, and I’ve taken it into the game now. Going against grown men now, I feel like I can adapt to it, because I'm used it.
“In England I was still playing against older people. They thought I was young so I didn't know how to play football, but when I started playing, everyone wanted me on their team, even on cold, muddy pitches.”
That man Mane again 🤩 pic.twitter.com/ljLR02ocDr
— Wolves (@Wolves) January 7, 2026
Mane’s recent exploits in the old gold shirt have exposed the world to the youngster’s thick Mancunian accent, making it even more surprising to hear that when he arrived in the UK from Portugal at the age of eight he didn’t speak a word of English.
That factor made the switch challenging. Portugal was all he knew, but like his adaption to first-team football, it was quick and effective.
“I used to watch stuff in English, but I didn't understand it, but when I came here, I learned it step by step. It was through school and when I was at home, I used to study English lessons, then my cousins speak English, so they helped me – my surroundings, friends and family.
“I really liked my life in Portugal, but I had a new chapter by coming to England. When I came here, I found it difficult in the beginning, so I had to adapt. I didn't really want to come because I left all my friends and with a new life you’ve got to start all over again, but now I’m happy.
“As soon as I adapted, getting friends, meeting new people, I really enjoyed it. I got to a point where I wanted to go back to Portugal, but I didn't want to go to stay, just go on holiday because I didn't want to leave England.”
The change in location didn’t alter his hunger for the game, however. Mane’s raw talent was spotted by City Select, a Manchester City program which offers pathways for young players with strong technical skills but needing more development time outside the main academy structure.
While City Select assisted the journey, Mane was going to need to do it the hard way – grassroots football. Three stops followed at Manchester Cobras, Moston Brook and Bee Inspired Football Academy, all at a similar level, but representing progression, with the former proving particularly influential on his career.
While at Bee Inspired, and through a slice of luck which all budding footballers need, the Rochdale door opened.
“One of my mates signed for Rochdale, and he told the manager that I should get a trial. Tony Ellis (now head of north academy recruitment at Wolves) said he wanted to sign me after my first training session. I wanted to be in an academy, so I signed and started playing regularly for the 18s.”
Just half a year of bedding in at youth-team level had passed before the youngster’s next significant checkpoint. At the age of 16, a place on Rochdale’s first-team bench awaited him for a National League fixture with Dagenham & Redbridge.
“I finished high school with my mates, and my coach called me to say I was on the bench the next day. I called my mum, my agent – everyone. My mates were buzzing. It was a bit scary because I’d only trained with the first-team for a couple of weeks, so it was really quick, but I enjoyed it.
“You could see the difference from the academy, some of them were technically very good, and I’d come up from grassroots. It was a big step, but I wanted to get on the pitch. Unfortunately, it didn't happen, which made me hungry for more. I always believed in myself, that I was born to play.”
In the Premier League now, Mane is playing without fear. Against West Ham United in January, the youngster’s confidence almost single-handedly changed the mood at Molineux, where his side had previously struggled to express themselves in a difficult season.
Perhaps it was that mindset, that willingness to take responsibility, which caught the eye of the Wolves scouts around the same time as that Dagenham fixture. Trials at Compton Park followed, piquing the club’s interest further, and less than a year after playing grassroots football, Mane found himself at a Premier League club.
“On trial, I had a game, first half with the 16s and second half with the 18s. For the 16s I scored two, then with the 18s I did well. I had a chance and missed it, so I was a bit upset, but it was experience.
“When I was signing, I couldn't believe it. I told my mates I was playing grassroots a few months ago and now a Premier League team wanted me. I was over the moon.
“In the beginning, I struggled, I missed my parents, my sister, my brothers and my family. But my teammates here would go out, so I adapted really well. I lived with a host family – big Wolves fans and really nice people. They showed me around and cooked my tea.
“My family are still in Manchester, so every time I have a day off, I get a quick train. I’ve started driving lessons, so hopefully I pass soon – that’s the next big thing off the pitch.”
February 2024 was the month of his signing, and February 2025 of his announcement on the first-team stage. Mane’s rise at Wolves was so rapid, he almost skipped the under-21s, playing regularly for Richard Walker’s under-18s before being fast-tracked to the senior group by Vitor Pereira.
Still just 17, Mane was on the bench against Fulham and handed his senior debut against Brighton & Hove Albion at the end of last season. Each step, he was making an impact.
“I'll never forget the moment he told me I was coming on against Brighton. I jumped off my seat, I wanted to go straight on. I won my first header and all my nerves went. I felt I deserved to be there. I was at home. The debut ball is in my room in a little cabinet where I keep all my trophies.
“It was a big step going to a Premier League environment and seeing how they go into games, the routine they do the night before, to after the game, it opened my eyes a lot. The recovery, the food they eat, everything, and I was ready for the lifestyle. I saw they take it very seriously.
“After pre-season, I thought I was actually becoming a first-team player. When I played games for the 21s, I didn't think I was better than anyone else, but the Stockport game [a Vertu Trophy fixture] I played against men, and physically I was ready for it.
“I was thinking back to the beginning, how fast everything happened, how far I'd come, from nothing to being a first-team player. I'm not fully there, I’ve played a few games, but anything can happen, so I’ve got to keep my feet on the ground, keep humble, and not get carried away.”
Those opportunities, including first-team pre-season trips to Portugal and Spain, came under Pereira, as did a first professional contract in the summer. However, it’s Edwards who takes credit for trusting Mane in Premier League action.
Thrust in for a first start at Anfield, Mane was Wolves’ biggest threat. At Old Trafford three days later, he was arguably the standout player on the pitch. His acknowledgment from the away end? A custom-made chant after just two starts for the club, to the tune of ‘Zombie’ by the Cranberries, appreciated mostly by his Manchester-based family amongst the away fans.
“The Liverpool game I thought I had nothing to lose. I had to show what I could do to the fans and staff and prove I belong here. I was not nervous that game, I felt happy and enjoyed it. The United game being in Manchester, most of my friends and family were there. I went in with no nerves, focused on the game, trying to do well, and I feel like I did.
“The chant started that night. I couldn't really hear it during the game because the atmosphere was amazing. But towards the end I could hear when I was closer to the away end and I thought, ‘Wow, I’ve got my own song.’ I was buzzing to be fair, I like the song, and all my family were there.”
A first Premier League goal felt inevitable and a crisp strike against West Ham helped his side to a long-awaited first win of the season. Mane was contributing big moments – his exquisite turn set up the first that day, before he was taken down for the penalty which Hee Chan Hwang converted.
Four days later, his sumptuous touch and finish beyond Jordan Pickford earned Wolves another point at Everton.
“West Ham was a crazy game. I was a bit nervous that game, because it was at Molineux with home fans, but I wanted to show the fans what I can do and I was buzzing. For the Everton goal, I feel like it was a good first touch. It set me up so I could go both sides, and I slotted it against the England goalkeeper.”
Mane may one day be lining up alongside Pickford on Three Lions duty. At under-18 level, the teenager has represented England but soon will have a decision to make for the under-21s, with Portugal retaining their interest.
Both nations will be impressed with what they’re seeing at Molineux. Only Junior Kroupi of Bournemouth has more goals as a teenager in this season’s Premier League than Mane.
For the 18-year-old, his focus is on the here and now at Wolves, relishing playing for a coach who has put his faith in him, and currently he’s more than repaying him.
“Rob’s been really good, putting faith in me at such a young age. Other managers wouldn't do that, but it shows he believes in young players and trusts us. So, I'm happy with him, and hopefully he's happy with me.
“I go through my clips with ‘H’ [Harry Watling], the assistant manager, going through what I did well, what I could do better, and where I struggled a bit. I've got to keep going, try to play well every game, show the manager, the fans, and everyone what I can do.”
