In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Novo. "Neto" is a generational suffix meaning "grandson", which is used for someone whose name is the same as their father and grandfather, like "III" in English.
Luís Carlos Novo Neto (Portuguese pronunciation:[luˈiʒˈnɛtu]; born 26 May 1988) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a centre-back.
Club career
Born in Póvoa de Varzim, Neto joined his hometown club Varzim SC's youth ranks at the age of 10. He appeared for them in the second division, being a backup or third choice in four of his five seasons.[3][4] 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.[5][6]
On 31 August 2017, Neto signed for Fenerbahçe SK in a season-long move.[14] On 11 March 2019, Sporting CP announced that he would join them on a permanent three-year contract on 1 July.[15] 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.[16][17]
Neto scored his first 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.[18] He contributed seven games during the league campaign to win another title.[19]
After retiring in 2024 aged 36, Neto remained at the club as assistant manager to newly appointed João Pereira.[20]
On 19 May 2014, Neto was named in the final 23-man squad for the tournament in Brazil,[24] but played no games in an eventual group-stage exit. He was also selected for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup by manager Fernando Santos.[25] 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).[26]
Neto was included in a preliminary 35-man squad for the 2018 World Cup,[27] but he did not make the final cut.[28]
Career statistics
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[29]
^"Neto" (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
^Veloso Gomes, André (24 June 2016). "Primos, poveiros e futebolistas" [Cousins, Póvoa-born and footballers]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). Retrieved 26 September 2023.