João Neves pays tribute to Benfica boss Roger Schmidt as PSG moves confirmed

João Neves is finally a Paris Saint-Germain player, having been officially announced by the French club on a five-year contract from Benfica on Monday afternoon.

Neves joins countrymen Nuno Mendes, Danilo, Vitinha and Goncalo Ramos at the Parc des Princes, while international colleague Renat Sanches moves in the other direction by making a sensational return to Estádio da Luz.

“We are delighted to welcome João Neves to the Paris Saint-Germain family,” declared PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi. “João is one of the most talented players in Portugal and internationally. He was very excited to join Paris Saint-Germain and determined to fight for this jersey - which is what we expect from all our players. We continue to build a fantastic young team at Paris Saint-Germain - based on teamwork, talent and collective spirit - which is the foundation of our club's great future."

Neves leaves Benfica ahead of his 20th birthday next month and with just 75 senior appearances under his belt. Speaking to PSG’s in-house media, the midfielder believes the style of play implemented by former Barcelona coach Luis Enrique at the French champions is aligned to his preference.

“I am very proud to join Paris Saint-Germain, which is a very ambitious club,” Neves said. “I will give my all to help my teammates, to grow in this fantastic club and to win several titles.

"I feel a little nervous, but happy. I hope the PSG fans like me. This is a new chapter in my life. The project is fantastic, the club is huge, with big goals. I spoke to Ángel Di María, who told me a lot about the club. He only said good things and assured me that I will be happy here," 

“The project is fantastic, the club is huge, with big goals and the way I think is to try to make the club stronger with young players. It is a very good project with big goals and great records. I want to spend this chapter of my career being a better player and developing myself as a footballer and as a man.

“Mister Luis Enrique has the game plan that I am looking for and that is why I chose Paris. Even though I am young, I believe I am mature. I am coming here and I will not disappoint. I like short, fast football and the mister has great game ideas. PSG suits my style of play.”

"I owe Schmidt a huge debt"

Neves also offered glowing praise of Roger Schmidt, who gave him his debut in the winter of the 2022-23 season and made Neves a mainstay of the Benfica side. Neves credits Schmidt with offering both personal and technical advice across the last 18 months, during which the midfielder became one of the most coveted young talents in Europe.

"First of all, when I talk about Roger Schmidt, I just have to thank him. He was the one who gave me the opportunity, he was the one who believed in me, perhaps when I didn't believe I was ready to play my first game as a starter against Estoril. I owe him a huge debt, because he was the one who put me in this situation. I will never forget Mr Roger Schmidt.

"I don't just evaluate the sporting aspect, I also evaluate the personal aspect. The coach, in addition to being a coach, is a fantastic person, a fantastic human being, who relates to the player not only because he is a football player, but also because he is human. I really enjoyed working with the coach.

"He tried to make me play less of the short game, because I liked to play quite an immature style, and he warned me about that. Try to see further ahead, lines further ahead. Not only him, but also the coaching team, always worked with me during training, to improve aspects that were less strong.

“I think he has good tactics, which led us to the 38th championship. Although we didn't win the 39th, we followed the coach's ideas, perhaps we did it worse than the previous year. But the ideas were the right ones, and we know that. For me, the human side is more important, and it was a pleasure to meet coach Roger Schmidt.”

PSG have paid a transfer fee of €60m, which could rise to €70m with add-ons, although the Lisbon club’s statement indicates there was a 10% intermediary fee, with Jorge Mendes helping orchestrate the deal. Renato Sanches, meanwhile, joins Benfica on-loan for the upcoming season.

By @SeanGillen9