Mateus Mane Interview

Wolves breakthrough star talks about his earliest playing memories in Portugal, how grassroots football in Manchester helped him on his journey, transitioning into the first team at Molineux, and The Cranberries song soundtracking his success.

“As soon as the ball left my foot, I thought ‘this could go in’, and when it did, I just lost my head.” Mateus Mane is describing the moment of his first senior goal, which put the icing on Wolves’ 3-0 win over West Ham United earlier this month, the club’s first Premier League victory of the season.

Sitting in the analysis viewing room at the Compton Park training ground, watching highlights of his dramatic impact on Wolves’ first team for a feature to be screened on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday and Super Sunday programmes this weekend, Mane still appears disbelieving of the footage. His second goal, against Everton in the next game, was just as clinical. A sublime first touch paving the way for a confident finish past England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

“I couldn’t believe it, that I’d scored my second goal in the Premier League,” he continues. “When I ran off and celebrated, I was lost for words. Everything just came back into my head from when I was younger.”

Mane spent the first eight years of his life growing up in Barreiro, a small city on the opposite side of the River Tagus from Lisbon, and some of his earliest memories involve kicking a ball around with his elder brother, Marcos.

“It was a really good place to grow up,” he adds. “I enjoyed being outside playing football, going out with my mates and my family, going to church on Sundays. It was always good, there. I started getting into football more as my older brother was into it. I enjoyed going out to join him and his mates for a game. I used to get bullied on the ball, but I really enjoyed those games.”

Mane has kept some photos from the time with his first team, Barreirense, and is especially proud of one showing him celebrating a first goal in a local junior tournament.

“I just pointed at my Dad, smiling,” he explains. “I was around six or seven years old then and it’s dedicated to him because he’s always been there for me, taking me to games and supporting me. It’s the same with my mum, my whole family have supported me through all this. I still speak with some friends from Barreirense. My best mate in Portugal is also called Mateus. They text me still, saying they’re really proud and we still talk about the games we used to play back then.”

Mateus Mane celebrating a goal for his Portuguese junior side Barreirense

From the coastal glow of the Iberian Peninsula, Mane and his family moved to Manchester where the grey clouds rolling off the Pennine Hills are more frequent than the sunshine. It took a couple of years for Mane to find a team to join but he eventually got the opportunity with two – Manchester Cobras and Bee Inspired Football Academy. Under the watchful eye of coaches Steve Maylett and Dan Connolly at the Cobras and Steve Leckey at Bee Inspired, Mane progressed quickly and was soon being talked about as a youngster of genuine potential.

“Manchester Cobras helped me a lot. Dan and Steve used to take me to games because my Mum couldn’t really do it for me then, because she can’t drive. Most of my friends played in the team, too. I love this team. The coaches were really important, they used to take me to little gym sessions, stuff that grassroots teams don’t really do, they helped me a lot.”

Mane in action for Manchester Cobras

Aged 15, it was no surprise when Rochdale spotted Mane and quickly signed him up for their Under 16s squad. After just a handful of junior matches, Mane was promoted to the matchday squad for the National League outfit, although he never made a senior appearance during his brief time with the club. A short trial at Southampton followed, where Mane played against an Arsenal academy side during his spell on the south coast.

Then 16 years old, a subsequent trial at Wolves left Mane with a decision to make when terms were offered. It was one of the easiest he has ever made.

“When I came to Wolves I just thought, ‘yeah, this is the place’”, he explains. “I spoke to my mum and dad and it just felt like home, with the players and staff. The first day I came in, the players welcomed me, they were talking to me like I’ve been here all my life. The staff welcomed me too and were always asking if I needed anything.

Mane at his Wolves Academy contract signing

“A player called Alvin [Ayman], who’s not here now, helped me lot when I first came in. He was the first person I spoke to. Conor McLeod as well, I remember sitting on a bench with him just as we were preparing for a game on Saturday, and he was speaking to me about where I was before Wolves and things like that, so they played a big part.”

During his scholarship Mane played in a number of attacking positions, including the central striker role, but he sees himself as a natural Number 10. Certainly, since head coach Rob Edwards has been using him in this position in the Premier League the benefits have been clear for all to see.

Mane is not scarred by what has gone before him this season. Fearless and willing to seek out the ball, he has given supporters something to cling onto against a backdrop of a season that will almost certainly end in relegation and further discontent towards the ownership. So how aware is he of what has gone before and the way he is changing perceptions of the team?

“I’ve noticed that I’m helping the team,” he reflects. “We’re getting more goals and more points. We’re going to fight until the end and I feel like we can still turn it around. There’s always a chance that anything can happen and we’re going to give it our best in every training session and take it into the games and just keep going.”

Mane showing Sky Sports his favourite football photos

Its is perhaps no surprise that Mane has not had to wait any length of time to be recognised with a supporters’ song. A repurposed version of The Cranberries track ‘Zombie’ is being sung loudly from the stands in his honour and it has been met with approval from its subject.

“Yeah I like it! It’s a good song,” he confirms. “During the game, sometimes, I can hear it and I have to try not to sing it because it’s a catchy song. But when I’ve scored I do sing it a bit with the fans.”

And on current form, it is a chant that will surely provide the soundtrack for the remainder of Wolves’ season.

Wolves v Newcastle is live on Sky Sports, the first part of Super Sunday, with coverage beginning at 1pm.