Neto: I Nearly Became a Field Hockey Player in My Youth, Which Has Greatly Benefited My Football Career

This summer, Chelsea spent 60 million euros to bring Neto from Wolves, and in the upcoming Premier League match, Neto will return to Wolves’ home ground with the Blues to face his former club. Before the game, Neto gave an interview.

Neto revealed that before becoming a football player, he was a youth field hockey player. Due to his small stature and incredible speed, he earned the nickname “Atomic Mouse.” He was born into a family of athletes; his mother was a volleyball player, his uncle Lomba was a national team player for Mozambique’s football team, his two sisters were national trampoline champions, and his father was a field hockey player. He nearly followed in his father’s footsteps and pursued this sport.

Neto said, “I started roller skating around the age of three, which greatly helped my physical balance. When you watch me play football, you’ll notice that my body naturally leans forward, lowering my center of gravity. I learned this from field hockey, because in that sport, you need to lower your center of gravity and put down the stick to protect the ball. Field hockey has been very beneficial to my football career.”

At the age of 14, Neto had to choose between football and field hockey, and ultimately he chose football. Barcelona once tried to sign him, but in the end, he chose to stay at Braga and received an opportunity to play for the first team at the age of 17.