English Football
Joao Moutinho joins Wolves from Monaco
Joao Moutinho has joined Wolves from Monaco for £5m on a two-year deal
Portugal international midfielder Joao Moutinho has joined Premier League newcomers Wolves from Monaco for £5m on a two-year deal.
The 31-year-old follows Portugal goalkeeper Rui Patricio to Molineux and should partner Ruben Neves in midfield.
.@JoaoMoutinho is "very excited" to join Wolves after signing for the club on a two-year deal. #BemVindoJoão
🎥🇵🇹 pic.twitter.com/42opXQjrLY
— Wolves (@Wolves) July 24, 2018
With 113 caps, Moutinho is Portugal’s third most-capped player behind Cristiano Ronaldo (154) and Luis Figo (127) and helped them win Euro 2016.
“It was one of my objectives to play in the Premier League,” said Moutinho.
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“I hope to help the club achieve their objectives. I am very excited, it is a new experience with a great club and I want to help the team, the players and club to progress.
.@JoaoMoutinho had this message for the supporters after arriving at Wolves. #BemVindoJoão
— Wolves (@Wolves) July 24, 2018
“I know it’s very difficult with big teams in Premier League but our mentality – my mentality – is to play every game to win and I hope with my experience and my quality as a team we can achieve our goals and our objectives.
“This club is a big club and a very good project and have players I know very well.”
Moutinho started his career at Sporting Lisbon before joining Porto in 2010.
He enjoyed a successful three-season spell at Porto, winning the Primeira Liga in 2011, 2012 and 2013, as well as the 2011 Europa League and Portuguese Cup.
Ligue 1 side Monaco paid £21.5m to sign Moutinho in 2013 and he went on to score 11 goals in 211 games for the French club, helping them win the French title in 2017.
Born João Filipe Iria Santos Moutinho in Barreiro, Setúbal District, Moutinho showed great promise as a boy playing for Portimonense SC.
He signed with Sporting CP when he turned 13 to continue his football education.
He began his professional career with Sporting, moving in 2010 to Porto and winning 12 major titles between the two clubs combined.
Three years later he transferred to Monaco for €25 million, winning the Ligue 1 championship in the 2016–17 season.
Moutinho represented the Portuguese national team at three European Championships and two World Cups, winning the 2016 edition of the former tournament.
