My roller-hockey exploits as a kid are my secret weapon… but earned me bizarre nickname, reveals Chelsea star Pedro Neto

BEFORE he was a Wolf, Pedro Neto was an ’Atomic Mouse’.

The Portugal winger returns to Molineux with Chelsea on Sunday aiming to torment former club Wolves with the pace and trickery that have been his trademark since he was a kid.

GettyPedro Neto joined Chelsea this summer[/caption]

He used to be known as the ‘Atomic Mouse’

Neto’s background in roller-hockey helped his football career

When Telmo Sousa worked with the young Neto, he and his fellow coaches coined a nickname for the little maestro.

Sousa revealed: “At the time he had not yet matured. Compared to his team-mates, he was one of the smallest.

“But his technique, combined with speed, meant that he was given that nickname, ‘Atomic Mouse’.

“From a very early age, Pedro had characteristics that made him stand out.

“He was just a boy with a strong personality and also an extraordinary competitive thirst.

“There was no doubt about his individual abilities. But in determining whether an athlete becomes a professional, the family structure is decisive. And Pedro has parents who gave him that support.”

To say Neto comes from a sporting family is something of an understatement.

His older sisters, Bruna and Debora, were national trampolining champions.

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Mum Cristina played volleyball and her brother, Neto’s uncle Sergio Lomba, also had a decent professional football career in Portugal and won one cap for Mozambique.

But for a while it seemed that the youngster was destined to follow in the path of his dad, Pedro Sr, and become a star of… roller hockey.

GettyPedro Neto made his debut for Chelsea against Manchester City[/caption]

Neto, who grew up in the beautiful coastal city of Viana do Castelo in the north west of Portugal, told the Chelsea programme: “In our home town, we had a club that was really well known and we used to fight for championships in the first division.

“I started playing when I was like, three years old, getting on the roller skates because you have to learn how to balance really early in life if you want to play.

“I went to trials for the national team at 13. The other guys were all 16 years old, so I was doing really well.”

But Neto was also starring on the football pitch, transferring skills from the skating rink.

The 24-year-old added: “If you look at me when I’m playing, I always lean forward when I’m going really fast.

“It’s the low centre of gravity. I take that from hockey because even to protect the ball you are getting the stick down.

“So loads of the technique — the way that I had to rotate as well — has helped me a lot in football.”

Neto played under Sousa at Perspectiva em Jogo, a junior club affiliated to the city’s football association and linked to a sporting academy.

And Sousa said: “Hockey helped him immensely.

Chelsea ratings vs Servette

CHELSEA sealed their first win under new manager Enzo Maresca as they beat Swiss minnows Servette.

Christopher Nkunku and Noni Madueke got the second-half goals to give the Blues a commanding lead in their Uefa Conference League play-off double header.

But it was far from convincing with Chelsea BOOED OFF at half-time.

Here’s how SunSport’s Jack Rosser rated the Blues stars…

Filip Jorgensen – 7

Made some very smart saves – especially late on as the visitors caused problems and came close to finding a goal to get back in.

Axel Disasi – 6

Kept things quiet down Chelsea’s right hand side having been started out of position at right-back. The Frenchman did not offer much going forwards but was more than solid enough defensively.

Tosin Adarabioyo – 6

An assured first start for the club since joining from Fulham on a free transfer. The defender was not caused any real problems and dominated in the air – a big reason Chelsea decided to snap him up.

Benoit Badiashile – 6

Solid enough defensively but looked awkward on the ball at times, especially when Chelsea were trying to pick a way through a solid midfield.

Renato Veiga – 5

Was given the task of moving inside from left-back and looked to struggle a lot at points, losing the ball cheaply on half way at one stage.

Moises Caicedo – 5

The midfielder was sent out in the holding role and hardly helped defensively by having Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Nkunku, a striker, ahead of him. Struggled to get a grip of midfield and dictate the game.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – 7

A very encouraging full debut for the summer signing – neat and positive on the ball and created some good chances for those ahead of him.

Pedro Neto – 6

A first start for his new club and the winger made some very encouraging runs down the right hand side. Will take time to settle but looks a very good option.

Christopher Nkunku – 6

Rather fortunate to win the penalty as it looked a touch harsh but stepped up and converted well.

Mykhailo Mudryk – 4

The definition of all bark, no bite. The Ukrainian winger has pace to burn and a huge bag of tricks but neither help him make any significant impact on games.

Continuing to play like that and Raheem Sterling might have a future here after all.

Marc Guiu – 6

Missed an absolute sitter to score his first goal for Chelsea.

After working so hard through the first half, Guiu turned a tap in into a howler when putting what should have been an easy finish straight at the scrambling Servette keeper.

“We are talking about a high-speed sport in which the athlete’s coordination and fitness attributes are tested to the maximum.

“You have the constant changes of direction and the restricted space that requires faster and more intelligent decision-making.

“I just remember many great moments.

“The most notable ones were when he scored a bicycle and on another occasion, when he carried the ball from defensive midfield, went past all the opponents and chipped the goalkeeper.

“Pedro played up — he was born in 2000 and played against youngsters from 1998 and 1999.

“The team also managed to reach the semi-finals of the local cup and they were mostly younger than all their opponents.”

Braga, the biggest club in Portugal outside of the usual suspects of Benfica, Sporting and Porto, came calling.

At 14, Neto had to choose between the two sports at which he excelled.

His decision to opt for football paid off. Barcelona tried to sign Neto but he stayed at Braga and was given his first-team debut at the age of 17 by Abel Ferreira, now the successful manager of Brazilian side Palmeiras.

After a disappointing spell on loan at Lazio, Neto joined Wolves in 2019.

He shone while at Molineux and was linked with Arsenal and a number of other big clubs before Chelsea splashed out an initial £51m on him this month.

Neto will have to fight the latest Blues signing, and fellow Portugal international Joao Felix, as well as a number of other forwards, for a place in Enzo Maresca’s side.

But Sousa, now chief exec of the EuroGestFootball agency that focuses on young players’ academic as well as football development, said: “The move to Chelsea is just a change of club.

“The competitive framework of the Premier League is still the same for him.

“I am sure that even with the strong competition, Pedro will be very successful.

“I believe that he will very soon be at the top — one of the best in the world.”