Known in the football world as 'Jota', but born as Neves Filipe, the Portuguese forward was brought into this world on 30 March 1999, making him a sprightly 25 years young. Hailing from Portugal, he currently dons the number 16 jersey for Rennes where his preferred position is left winger. Jota stands at 5ft 8 in (1.75m) and tips the scales at 10 stone 7 pounds (67kg).
To put a price on his talents is a tricky business, but Transfermarkt values him at €8.00m, which roughly translates to £7m. He's bound by contract to Rennes until 30 June 2027, with two years and seven months remaining on his current agreement.
His footballing journey began way back in July 2007 when a young Jota signed up to train with Portuguese giants Benfica. It was in the 2018-2019 season he made his first team debut, contributing to the squad in four league games. This increased to a healthier 19 appearances in the following season.
Yet, in pursuit of further experience, Jota was loaned out to Spain's Real Valladolid in October 2020. Ensconced within LaLiga, he appeared in 17 league fixtures and found the back of the net once in the 2020-2021 season.
It was in August 2021 when Jota was introduced to Scottish football and the Celtic faithful. While only on loan from Benfica, the left winger made an impression — 29 appearances, ten goals — enough to convince the Celtic board to part with around £6.5m for a full transfer in July 2022. It appeared to be money well-spent as he replicated his successes in the second season at Celtic, notching up a further 33 appearances and 11 goals.
Despite his extraordinary performances for Celtic, Jota was on the move once more in July 2023. This time, the destination was Saudi Arabia's Al-Ittihad in a deal rumoured to have cost a hefty £25m. He played 16 times for the club, scoring four goals in the 2023-2024 season.
A year later in August 2024, Jota found himself back in Europe, specifically Rennes in Ligue 1. His 'welcome back' gift was a price tag of approximately £6.8m. In his current season, Jota has made nine appearances and scored one goal. He also had a brief spell on the pitch in the Coupe de France.
