Neves is well accustomed to fronting up to the media in tough moments.
Back in March 2024, after Benfica were thrashed 5-0 by rivals Porto, the then 19-year-old—still grieving the recent loss of his mother and in his first season as a regular starter—was the one sent out to address the defeat at the final whistle.
Set against that night at the Dragao, last week’s 1-1 draw with DR Congo in Portugal’s World Cup opener felt minor by comparison, however frustrating it was.
Even so, Neves’ post-match remarks ignited a national storm ahead of Tuesday’s game against Uzbekistan (18:00 BST).
Asked about Cristiano Ronaldo’s place in the squad, the Paris St-Germain midfielder said that while everyone knows what Ronaldo has done for Portugal, right now he is simply another teammate, there to contribute like the rest.
The backlash was swift and unexpectedly intense. Ronaldo supporters flooded the social media accounts of Neves, Bruno Fernandes and others, accusing them of disrespecting the captain—an outcry that felt unprecedented even for a global figure like Ronaldo.
Record journalist Vitor Pinto warned it pointed to the risk of a “civil war” within the national team.
Matters escalated when figures close to Ronaldo joined in. His partner, Georgina Rodriguez, reacted to a fabricated quote attributed to Neves’ girlfriend, Madalena Aragao, before later deleting her comment. His sisters, Katia and Elma Aveiro, shared posts implying there was an effort to push him out of the team.
On CMTV—Portugal’s most-watched channel, in which Ronaldo is a shareholder—pundit and lawyer Luis Miguel Henrique, who has represented him in business matters, even cited a fake quote supposedly from Zinedine Zidane in Ronaldo’s defense.
The uproar inevitably seeped into Portugal’s camp in Palm Beach.
News conferences repeatedly featured the question: is the country split between those for and against Cristiano?
“This shouldn’t even be a topic,” Ruben Dias answered tersely.
The next day, Diogo Dalot said: “We know there are many people who don’t want Portugal to win.” Pressed to identify them, he refused: “If I started naming names, we’d never leave here. That’s not my job.”
Portugal know a convincing win over Uzbekistan—ideally with a Ronaldo goal—would be the quickest route to calm.