The midfielder has achieved honours at three major European clubs and reflects on his route from watching his father player as a child, to performing at Molineux, representing Wolves.
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FIRST FOOTBALL MEMORIES
My first memory of football was with my father and my brothers. We’d go with my father to his training ground because he played football. I played football all the time. Of course, I had a dream to play myself, a lot of people want to be a professional footballer, I needed to do everything and needed a chance - a bit of luck.
SPORTING BREAKTHROUGH
Sporting CP | 2000-10
I broke into the Sporting team at a very young age and it was very good, of course. As a young player, I began to play at 18-years-old. We tried to do the things to get ourselves in the first-team and when you get there you need to enjoy it. You need to do all the things you can to show the people you can play. It’s the most important when you enjoy and do the things well. I tried and achieved, but a lot of people don’t achieve what they want. It was a pleasure for me to stay in the first-team playing, showing what I can do.
CONTROVERSIAL PORTO SWITCH
FC Porto | 2010-13
I moved to Porto in 2010 and it wasn’t easy – Sporting’s rivals. They are very good teams, Sporting and Porto play to be champions in Portugal. I was captain of Sporting, so the move was a big decision, but a good decision, one of my best in football because I won a lot of things. I changed a big club for another big club, but the people in Porto were very good for me. It’s important for me when the people want you at the club, it gives you more strength to do things for them. I like Sporting, but I have a love for FC Porto. It’s a big team, they show it every year, and it was a good decision to go there.
LIGUE 1 SUCCESS
Monaco | 2013-18
I expected to do a lot of good things at Monaco because I knew the players they had and the players they were going to buy. We had a very good team and did a very good job in the five years I stayed there. We won Ligue 1 once against PSG, they’d won it six times before, but after we won we did a good job in the Champions League, which was important. I was very happy at Monaco and we achieved very good things.
PREMIER LEAGUE PROJECT
Wolves | 2018-Present
I chose Wolves because it’s a new project. It’s a team who wants to be bigger in England, I wanted to play in the Premier League and the opportunity Wolves gave me I tried to catch. I’m very happy here, I’m glad the people of Wolves gave me confidence and I try to help the team and club to develop. The Portuguese helped me, they can talk my language we help each other, at first, they showed me the city and the places we can go to eat good food, but not only the Portuguese, we have a strong group and we all help each other, which is the most important.
