Luís Neto

Luís Carlos Novo Neto (; born 26 May 1988) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a centre-back.

Club career Born in Póvoa de Varzim, Porto District, Neto joined his hometown club Varzim SC's youth ranks at the age of 10. He appeared for them in the Segunda Liga, being a backup or third choice in four of his five seasons. His competitive debut came on 10 February 2007 in a 2–1 home win against S.L. Benfica in the sixth round of the Taça de Portugal, when he played two minutes.

In July 2011, Neto moved to Primeira Liga side C.D. Nacional on a free transfer. He immediately made an impact for his new team, and attracted interest from the likes of FC Porto and Arsenal during the following off-season; Italy's A.C. Siena eventually signed him for €1.7 million.

Neto was a starter during the first half of the campaign, scoring his only goal in Serie A in a 1–3 home defeat against AS Roma. On 1 February 2013 he moved again, joining compatriots Bruno Alves and Danny at FC Zenit Saint Petersburg. He scored his first goal for the Russian club on 19 May, his team's first in the 3–1 home victory over FC Volga Nizhny Novgorod.

On 31 August 2017, Neto signed for Fenerbahçe SK in a season-long move. On 11 March 2019, Sporting CP announced that he would join them on a permanent three-year contract on 1 July. He made 22 appearances in his second season (28 in all competitions), as the latter won the national championship for the first time in 19 years.

Neto scored his only goal for Sporting on 26 November 2023, opening an eventual 8–0 home rout of Campeonato de Portugal side Dumiense CJPII Futebol SAD in the fourth round of the domestic cup; this was also his first career one in ten years. He contributed seven games during the league campaign to win another title.

After retiring in 2024 aged 36, Neto remained at the club as an assistant manager to newly appointed João Pereira. Following the latter's dismissal, he retained his position under Rui Borges.

International career Neto appeared with the Portugal under-21 team at the 2009 Lusofonia Games. He played all four matches during the tournament, as they won the silver medal.

On 4 October 2012, Neto was called up for the first time to the full side, for 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Russia and Northern Ireland. He made his debut on 6 February of the following year, partnering Zenit teammate Alves in a 2–3 friendly loss to Ecuador in Guimarães.

On 19 May 2014, Neto was named in the final 23-man squad for the tournament in Brazil, but played no games in an eventual group-stage exit. He was also selected for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup by manager Fernando Santos. On 2 July, in his only appearance in the latter competition, he scored an own goal against Mexico in the third place play-off (a 2–1 win in Moscow).

Neto was included in a preliminary 35-man squad for the 2018 World Cup, but he did not make the final cut.

Career statistics

Honours

Zenit St. Petersburg Russian Premier League: 2014–15, 2018–19 Russian Cup: 2015–16 Russian Super Cup: 2015, 2016

Sporting CP Primeira Liga: 2020–21 2023–24 Taça da Liga: 2020–21, 2021–22 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2021

Portugal FIFA Confederations Cup third place: 2017