The lad we know as Jota, born in Portugal on the 30th of March, 1999, is currently plying his trade as a forward, usually on the left flank, for Al-Ittihad. Standing 5ft 8in tall (1.75m), and tipping the scales at 10st 7lb (67kg), he's not the bulkiest figure on the pitch. Nevertheless, he's certainly made his mark, donning the number 11 jersey.
His worth in the football market, according to Transfermarkt, is pegged around £7.5m. His contract with Al-Ittihad has a good run left with about 2 years and 11 months to go, set to expire on 30 June 2027.
'Jota', full name Filipe 'Jota' Neves, kick-started his career as a youth player at Benfica, a well-regarded Portuguese outfit, in July 2007. His breakthrough into the senior team came in the 2018-2019 season where he graced the league with 4 appearances. In the following campaign, he was a more regular feature making 19 appearances.
The Spanish folk at Real Valladolid saw fit to tale him on loan in October 2020. During his stint in Spain's La Liga, he made 17 appearances and netted one for his team.
A pivot northward to Scotland followed, as he secured a loan move to Celtic in August 2021. His initial season at Celtic was fruitful as he made 29 appearances and scored 10 goals. The following term, he furthered his tally to 11 goals from 33 outings. This prompted Celtic to secure his services permanently in July 2022 for a sum of about £6.5m.
Despite his contributions to Celtic the erstwhile season, 'Jota' Neves Filipe found himself switching tops again. This time, heading eastwards to Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Professional League. This move, made in July 2023, was for a substantial transfer fee of around £25m. Currently, in the 2024-2025 season, he is yet to make his league debut.
Moreover, he represented Al-Ittihad in the AFC Champions League 2023 - 2024 with one goal in four starts, and in the FIFA Club World Cup 2023 with two substitute appearances to his name.
