Aged 16, Toti decided to swap a rugby ball for a football, a decision he could not have foreseen going so successfully when in his hometown of Cascais, 19 miles west of Lisbon, Portugal.
His opportunity came at regular Europa League qualifiers GD Estoril Praia, and then with the club placing immense confidence in him giving him a deal until 2027, his pride is immeasurable.
“I appreciated the confidence Wolves gave me, really grateful,” he said. “From now on I need to keep working hard to give back the confidence they’ve given me.”
Born in Portuguese-speaking Guinea-Bissau, Toti admits moving to Europe at a young age meant that opportunities to thrive in a sporting background became easier to pursue.
His passion for rugby was apparent and found a club side, Escolinha de Rugby de Galiza, east of Cascais and just 20 minutes from where he eventually flourished in a football setting at Estoril.
His physical attributes were also a distinctive strength and he pinpointed his speed as a key transferrable skill to football, but nailing down his position wasn’t quite so simple.
“I always watched football, I always wanted to play, my idols were Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi,” Toti added.
“When I start playing football, I was not a defender, I was a winger and a striker. But with the passing of the years, I came down and found my true position.”
Wolves teammate Chiquinho also found his way at Estoril, a breeding ground for young Portuguese talent just outside the capital.
“We've known each other since school times, under-19s in Portugal and the first-team in Estoril," Toti added.
Having a Portuguese core at Molineux has certainly helped Toti settle, and a continuation of playing under a Portuguese boss at Estoril, Grasshoppers in Switzerland, and now Bruno Lage, has made for a free-flowing football pathway.
Toti continued: “They integrated me very well, Ruben [Neves] never played on my debut, but he messaged me after the game congratulating me.
“It’s helped me a lot. Anything I needed, they were already here. The communication is easier for me and the group is really together.”
The head coach has had a key impact on his progress and Toti hailed his relationship since he came back into the squad in the absence of Romain Saiss, who was away captaining Morocco to the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations.
“I was not waiting to play, and he’s a really calm coach. He said, ‘do what you do on the training pitch,’ that’s one of the reasons I was not nervous on my debut.”
With a desire to succeed, and a willingness to learn, Toti makes it clear that he sees the others occupying the central defender spots at Wolves as tutors, rather than the competition at this stage.
“I’m learning and improving every day with the ball,” he added. “I’m trying to learn more from Saiss, Boly, even on the training pitch, so I can do the same when it’s my time.”
Having made his first appearance for the senior Wolves side since January in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Norwich City, the confidence in Toti to step up when required is a luxury some clubs don’t have.
There’s no doubt there’s more to come from the 23-year-old, the future is bright and Toti will be the first to thank Wolves for such faith and an opportunity only a fraction get to experience.
By Josh Evans
