Wolverhampton Wanderers became a driving force in England behind signing and developing Portuguese talent under Nuno Espirito Santo, with an influx of players from his home nation welcomed to Molineux during his reign and beyond.
The influence of renowned agent Jorge Mendes made the Old Gold the ideal spot for both upcoming and certified talents from Liga Portugal, in the bid to make themselves known in the Premier League.
Some stars took the route with Nuno from the Championship to the top flight, with the likes of Ruben Neves making his name in the second tier before exerting his quality in the Premier League to eventually become captain and leave for £47m.
Neves’ success story was shared by a host of Portuguese talents at Molineux over the years, although not every talent from the nation had a similar outcome, with one name now playing back in the second tier in England.
Ruben Vinagre was one of the highly promising talents unearthed by Nuno from Portugal, and despite all the signs being there for the defender to thrive at Molineux, things didn’t quite go to plan for the full-back.
When did Wolves sign Ruben Vinagre?
Rewind to 2017 and Wolves had just announced the loan signing of 18-year-old Vinagre from Monaco’s academy, a versatile left-back who had joined the French outfit’s academy from Sporting CP in 2014.
It quickly became apparent how highly regarded the teenager’s talents were in Nuno’s side, as he recorded five consecutive appearances at the start of the Championship campaign playing at both left-back and left-midfield.
After the quick spell, the youngster’s game time became more sporadic as he continued to develop in both the youth and first team, however, he made his mark with his electric performances when called upon in the senior side.
On only his sixth appearance in the Championship, Vinagre registered his first goal for Wolves in fine fashion, highlighting just how dangerous of an element he could be to Nuno’s promotion-pushing squad.
By that summer, the Old Gold had secured promotion back to the big time and sealed the permanent signing of Vinagre from Monaco for a fee of just £2m, a worthy acquisition for a reliable young fringe player.
How did Ruben Vinagre perform at Wolves?
Despite the former Sporting CP starlet only making nine appearances in the second tier during his debut campaign, the manager’s faith in him was rewarded with 17 Premier League appearances in the 2018/19 season.
The versatile defender’s progression was highlighted the following year, as he became a more prominent member of the squad, as suggested by his 33 appearances in all competitions.
That term, the youngster was faced with a host of challenges to maintain his position in the pecking order at both left midfield and left back, finding himself in a duel with the likes of Jonny Otto throughout the campaign.
Speaking to the media during the season, Nuno was full of praise for the starlet, calling him a “massively important” member of the squad for his versatility, branding him as “special”.
As Wolves’ success began to grow, by reaching the quarter-finals of the Europa League in the 2019/20 campaign, the need for added quality in the squad became a paramount target for Nuno in the transfer window.
The summer of 2020 proved to be pivotal for Vinagre’s future at Wolves, as the club welcomed two players deployable at left-back in Rayan Ait-Nouri and Marcal, automatically pushing the youngster further down the pecking order.
What happened to Ruben Vinagre?
In October 2020, Wolves sent the promising defender on loan to Olympiacos in a bid to continue his development away from Molineux, where the squad had been bolstered without his involvement in mind.
At the time, journalist Josh Bunting admitted he was sad to see the Portuguese leave England, explaining that he had shown “so much potential” during the time he spent discovering the boundaries of his game under Nuno.
Unfortunately for Vinagre, life in Greece did not go to plan, as he struggled for game time at Olympiacos, resulting in him returning to Wolves in December after just four appearances in all competitions.
The Old Gold sought the sanctuary of home comforts as the next destination for the defender to thrive, as he spent the remainder of the 2020/21 campaign on loan at Portuguese side Famalicao.
The Wolves loanee was handed 20 Liga Portugal appearances during his time at the club, where he recorded three assists, which inspired his next journey in the summer of 2021 as he returned to his boyhood club of Sporting CP.
How much did Wolves sell Ruben Vinagre for?
In July 2022, the end of Vinagre’s critical time at Molineux came to a permanent end, as Sporting paid a fee of €10m (£8.5m) to welcome him back to Lisbon, where he remains as a player today.
Despite being a representative of the Lions, the full-back has played all of his football in England since his permanent transfer, however, the extent of his playing time is rather small.
Last summer, Vinagre returned to the Premier League to join Everton on a season-long loan, however after playing just 24 minutes of league football in the campaign, the Portuguese left Goodison wishing his time could’ve “been different”.
An achilles problem kept the 1999-born ace away from the action in what was a failed loan spell, resulting in him having to take a step backwards in order to push on again in the future.
Where is Ruben Vinagre now?
After returning to Portugal from Merseyside, the 24-year-old was shipped away once more to rediscover his form and fitness, returning to where it all began at senior level in England with the Championship.
Currently, the left-back is playing for Hull City on a season-long loan from Sporting, having made six appearances in the league so far for the Tigers in an encouraging start to the season.
With an average Sofascore rating of 6.53 in the Championship this term, it’s suggested that there is a long way to go for Vinagre to rediscover his level of performance on show at Wolves, but he is finally on the right path.
At times there was hope that Vinagre could be one of the best left-backs in England at Molineux, however, squad competition and failed loan spells have caused the 24-year-old to take a very different path back to the top.
Everyone at Wolves can only look back at the youngster’s time in the Midlands with fond memories, with the hope that he can fulfil the potential he showcased under Nuno’s guidance.