From Bernardo Silva to João Neves, from João Cancelo to Gonçalo Ramos, we’ve seen quite a few Benfica academy talents emerge as Champions League stars and excel for the Portuguese national team. At 17 years of age, the next to do so could be Ricardo Jorge Gomes da Costa Neto.

Born on August 26, 2008, Ricardo Neto was raised in the Casal da Boba housing complex in Amadora, switching back and forth between living with his mom and dad. He joined Benfica’s academy in 2018, starting off with the U-11s and quickly soaring through the ranks. After helping Benfica win the U-15 national championship in 2022/23, Neto took things up a notch by spearheading Benfica to the U-17 Second Division National Championship in 2023/24. And after an impressive 2024/25 season that saw him win the National Championship with the ‘Juvenis’ in 2024/25, Neto managed to make his mark at the international level, having already made 26 international caps thus far.

Neto headed to Albania to take part in the 2025 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, where he led Portugal to victory in the final. Similarly to other center backs like Carlos García, Neto has been able to make his mark in the world’s biggest youth tournaments, helping them win the third World Cup in its history, at the male or female level, having previously won the U-20 World Cup (then called the FIFA World Youth Championship) in 1989 and 1991. After leading Portugal to victory in the U-17 World Cup, Neto returned from Qatar and has continued to grind away for success. This season, he’s made his UEFA Youth League debut and debuted for Benfica B in the Premier League International Cup. And after Daniel Banjaqui, Anísio Cabral, and José Neto, he could very well be the next youth talent to break into the Benfica first team under José Mo​​urinho.

Joy News spoke to Neto about multiple topics, including:

I imagine it's not easy growing up in a divided family. Do you think this might have helped you grow your resilience and your mindset?

I think so…it helped. It wasn't something that had a huge influence, but it helped me grow and helped shape my mindset.

Who’s the toughest player that you’ve faced, both in a training session as well as an official match?

I think the most difficult player to go up against in training was Anísio Cabral. He's a very tough player to mark. The player who made the biggest impression on me in a match came some time ago, when I was playing my first international tournament with Benfica, and we beat Roma's U-14s in the final. I was going up against a smaller, stronger striker who was very fast, and at that time, I wasn't used to facing that type of opponent. I forgot his name, but he was older, faster, and stronger, and there was a big difference between the Benfica players and the players from other clubs. It was there that I got that reality shock and saw that there were people who could match me physically.

What do you like to do whenever you're not playing or training?

I really enjoy watching anime cartoons and listening to music.

What has it been like balancing your academic studies with trying to reach the Benfica first team?

It's been good, I'm still taking classes at a school that Benfica has a partnership with, and I'm going to get my diploma next year. My favorite class is philosophy.

Lastly, Benfica has a lot of high-level players in its academy, as well as a lot of high-level coaches. Is there any tip that you can recall that helped you a lot in your trajectory? 

Nothing comes to mind right now, but I remember a U-16 game, where, in the first half, things were going very well for me, and I wasn't fully focused. At the time, the manager, Tiago Lima told me something -- I don't remember exactly what he said -- but it entered into my mind and made me think so much that in the second half I managed to overcome it and become myself again.