“Who is João Neves? Is he the little guy who always scores?” – PSG boss Luis Enrique praises ever-evolving Portuguese after another goal [video] | OneFootball

Neves is PSG's top goalscorer this season

When João Neves joined Paris Saint-Germain last summer from Benfica, aged just 19, many could have been forgiven for raising concerns about a potentially premature move to one of Europe’s most demanding clubs.

Within 18 months of his arrival, the Portuguese international is quickly establishing himself as one of the most complete midfielders across the continent. With another goal this weekend as PSG beat Le Havre 3-0 in the French capital to return to the top of Ligue 1, Neves became his team’s top goalscorer this season.

Expectations for Neves were based around his tenacity, intelligence and quality – a teenager at Benfica who exhibited many of the all-around attributes PSG boss Luis Enrique was looking for in his midfield. The kid from Tavira has delivered in every aspect and more, including demonstrating a good aerial prowess, a growing penchant for set-pieces as well as his recent knack for goalscoring.

Neves’ time with his boyhood club in Lisbon certainly did not indicate such potential in front of goal, with his 75 appearances for the Eagles yielding just four goals. His debut campaign at the Parc des Princes, following a summer move which could total €70m, offered signs of improvement – Neves scored 7 in all competitions in his first year in Paris.

This season, despite some injury issues, Neves has already found the net six times – more than any of his teammates. Indeed, taking into account time missed through a thigh injury, the numbers become even more impressive. So far Neves has scored a goal every 91 minutes during the 2025-26 term, while his recent excursion with Portugal saw a hat-trick against Armenia.

His strike in the 3-0 win over Le Havre on Saturday was simple enough, with Neves converting a rebound after Bradley Barcola had twice been denied. The goal put PSG 2-0 up, meaning it was a little less crucial than his last-gasp winner in the 4-3 victory over Paulo Fonseca’s Lyon before the international break, but in becoming his team’s leading scorer there was a clear personal significance.

Enrique mixes his Portuguese, but happy with both

There was an amusing incident during the post-match press conference when Luis Enrique was asked a question about Neves, but found himself speaking about fellow Portugal man Nuno Mendes, before realising his mistake. “Ah, you were asking about João Neves! Who is he? Is he the little guy who always scores? I remember him,” the Spaniard laughed.

“It’s impressive, you can see he has a lot of quality, he’s a very young player. He’s been criticised, but that’s normal – all players are criticised in their career. It’s great to see his development and we’re happy to see he has this ability to score goals.”

Luis Enrique’s words on Nuno Mendes did, of course, warrant documenting. “Nuno Mendes? It’s always good news when you get a player back,” the PSG boss said of the left-back, who notched another assist for Lee Kang-In's opening goal on his return, having missed the Lyon match and Portugal duty with a knock. “Nuno played the full 90 minutes, he feels good, he’s ready for the next match against Tottenham.”

Gonçalo Ramos, making his first club start for over a month, was subbed on 64 minutes against Le Havre, while Vitinha played 71 minutes before being replaced, as Luis Enrique shuffled his pack ahead of a home clash with Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League on Wednesday.