*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:21, 15 December 2024 (UTC)
Nemanja Matić (Serbian Cyrillic: Немања Матић, pronounced[němaɲamǎːtitɕ]; born 1 August 1988) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Ligue 1 club Lyon. Starting his career as an attacking midfielder, Matić shifted to a defensive midfielder during his spell at Benfica.[4] He is known for his consistent performances on the pitch and his combative style of play.[5][6]
Matić began his senior career at Kolubara, before joining Slovak side Košice in 2007. He moved to English club Chelsea for £1.5 million in 2009. Used sparingly during his first spell at the club, he spent the 2010–11 season on loan at Dutch club Vitesse, and in the summer of 2011, he moved to Benfica as part of a swap deal involving David Luiz. He won the Primeira Liga Player of the Year award for his performances in the 2012–13 season.
Matić returned to Chelsea in January 2014, for £21 million. He was an integral part of a Chelsea team that won two Premier League titles. He was named in the PFA Team of the Year for the 2014–15 season. In July 2017, he was reunited with former Chelsea manager José Mourinho after signing for Manchester United. He played with Manchester United until 2022 when he again was reunited with Mourinho at Roma. After one season with Roma, he joined Rennes in 2023.
Matić represented his nation Serbia at under-21 level. He made his senior international debut in 2008 and scored more than once in 48 appearances. He was part of Serbia's squad at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Club career
Early career
Matić was born in Šabac, SR Serbia.[7] He began playing football at age five with FK Vrelo from the eponymous village, coached by his own father.[8] He began his senior career at Kolubara, before signing for Slovak club Košice in 2007.[9] While living in the country, he also received Slovak citizenship.[10]
Chelsea
On 18 August 2009, Matić signed for Chelsea from Košice for a fee of around £1.5 million on a four-year contract, having been on trial at Middlesbrough.[11][12] He was given the number 24 shirt by Chelsea but was not able to make his debut immediately due to the injury he picked up at the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship. He was on the bench for Chelsea's League Cup match against Queens Park Rangers on 23 September 2009, but did not take any part in the 1–0 victory. Matić made his Premier League debut for Chelsea on 21 November, coming on as a substitute for Florent Malouda in the 69th minute in a 4–0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.[13]
On 31 January 2011, Matić agreed to join Portuguese club Benfica in the summer of 2011, as part of a deal for Chelsea to sign Brazilian centre-back David Luiz.[15] Under Benfica manager Jorge Jesus, Matić was converted from a playmaker into a defensive midfielder.[16]
On 13 January 2013, Matić scored Benfica's first goal in a 2–2 draw with O Clássico rivals Porto.[17] The next day, he was awarded with a contract extension lasting until 2018, with the buyout clause set at €45 million.[18]
In the second leg of Benfica's Europa League round of 32 tie against Bayer Leverkusen, Matić headed in a late goal after a cross from Lima to seal a 3–1 aggregate victory.[19] Matić was an integral member throughout the 2012–13 Primeira Liga campaign as Benfica looked to claim the club's first league championship since 2010. Going into the penultimate game of the season against Porto, both teams were undefeated in league play,[20] but a stoppage-time winner from substitute Kelvin gave Porto a 2–1 victory.[21]
On 15 May, Matić faced former employers Chelsea in the Europa League final in Amsterdam but was on the losing side as Benfica fell to a 2–1 defeat, courtesy of a last minute Branislav Ivanović header.[22] On 4 July 2013, he was named Primeira Liga Player of the Year after having won the monthly award three times over the course of the season.[23][24]
On 15 January 2014, Matić rejoined Chelsea for a fee of £21 million (€25M),[28][29] on a five-and-a-half-year contract.[30] He made his second debut for the club four days later, replacing Willian in a 3–1 win against Manchester United.[31]
Matić scored his first Premier League goal on 30 August 2014, in a 6–3 win at Everton.[34] A month later, Matić scored the only goal as Chelsea won away at Sporting CP in the group stage of the Champions League;[35] on 5 November in the same competition, his goal earned Chelsea a 1–1 draw at Maribor.[36]
Matić was given a straight red card in Chelsea's 1–1 home draw against Burnley on 21 February 2015, for pushing over Ashley Barnes following a high tackle by him, which resulted in the bending of Matić's shin.[37] On appeal, his suspension was shortened to two matches, including the League Cup Final.[38]
On 26 April 2015, Matić was named as one of four midfielders in the PFA Team of the Year, alongside teammate Eden Hazard. Four more Chelsea players were included in the selection.[39]
On 12 September 2015, Matić scored his first goal of the 2015–16 Premier League season against Everton, but it was not enough to save Chelsea from a 3–1 loss.[40] Matić was sent off for two yellow cards in the first half of Chelsea's 2–1 loss at West Ham United on 24 October 2015.[41]
For the majority of the 2016–17 Premier League season, Matić played as a central midfielder in a 3–4–3 formation. He scored the 4th goal in Chelsea's 4–2 FA Cup semi-final win over Tottenham Hotspur on 22 April 2017.[42] On 8 May 2017, he scored his first ever goal at Stamford Bridge, in a 3–0 victory over Middlesbrough.[43]
Manchester United
Matić playing for Manchester United in 2017
On 30 July 2017, a photo was leaked of Matić wearing a Manchester United training kit printed with the number 31 vacated by Bastian Schweinsteiger the previous March, fuelling rumours that Matić was on the verge of a reunion with former Chelsea manager José Mourinho.[44] Manchester United confirmed the deal the next day, with Matić signing a three-year contract with an option for an extra year,[45] for a fee reported to be in the region of £40 million.[46]
Two days after signing, he made his first appearance in a friendly against Sampdoria, finishing in a 2–1 win over the Italian side.[47] On 13 August 2017, Matić made his league debut in a 4–0 win over West Ham United at Old Trafford, in which he was named Man of the Match.[48] On 5 March 2018, Matić scored his first goal for the club with a half-volley in a 3–2 comeback win over Crystal Palace after being 2–0 down.[49] The goal was later voted Manchester United goal of the season.[50]
During the boxing day matches of the 2018–19 Premier League, Matić scored his first goal of the season and his second for Manchester United in a 3–1 win over Huddersfield Town.[51]
On 29 January 2020, Matić scored the only goal in a 1–0 derby win; however he was also sent off during the game which United lost 3–2 on aggregate.[52]
On 17 March 2020, Manchester United announced that they would be triggering a clause in Matić's contract to extend it by another year rather than allowing it to expire in the summer of 2020, keeping him at the club for a fourth year.[53] On 6 July 2020, Matić signed a new three-year contract with the club, securing his future until 2023.[54]
On 15 April 2022, Matić announced he would be leaving the club at the end of the season.[55]
On 14 June 2022, it was announced that Matić had agreed to join Roma on a one-year contract, following the expiry of his Manchester United contract.[56] He joined on a free transfer. This was his third reunion with manager José Mourinho, having also played under him for Chelsea and Manchester United. "I already worked with him, we have a good connection and he is one of the reasons why I came here," Matic commented on Mourinho.[57] On 14 August, he made his debut for the club, as a substitute, in a 1–0 away win against Salernitana in the Serie A.[58] He started in the Europa League final, but would later be substituted in extra time as Roma went on to lose the match on penalties.[59]
Rennes
Matić with Rennes in 2023
On 14 August 2023, Matić joined Ligue 1 club Rennes on a two-year deal for a reported transfer fee of €3 million.[60][61] Matić played in 13 Ligue 1 games and received 7 yellow cards, incurring 2 yellow-card suspensions. Rennes won 2 games that he played in. He was left out of the squad after December 18 2023, with Rennes winning all 5 games from then until his departure. However, Matić played in all 6 Europa League group stage games, providing an assist in all three home games as Rennes advanced from their group.[62]
Lyon
On 27 January 2024, Matić joined fellow Ligue 1 club Lyon on a two-and-a-half-year contract, for a transfer fee of €2.6 million.[63]
International career
Matić's debut for the Serbia under-21 team came in a match against Denmark on 11 October 2008.[64] After three matches and two goals for the Serbia under-21 squad, he was called up to the Serbian senior squad and made his debut in a friendly against Poland on 14 December 2008, in a 1–0 loss.[65]
Matić took part in the 2009 UEFA Euro Under-21 Championship, where he played 85 minutes in the first group match against Italy in a 0–0 draw. Matić, however, injured himself after contact with Italian forward Sebastian Giovinco. He broke the fifth metatarsal in his right foot and was forced to undergo surgery.[68]
In December 2012, Matić announced he would not play for the Serbia national team while Siniša Mihajlović was the coach. The reason he gave for this decision is that he felt he was not given the right opportunity by the coach not playing a single minute in his last five call-ups.[69][70] On 6 September 2013, Matić returned to his national team on a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Croatia, being sent off in the 75th minute.[71][72]
In June 2018, he was selected in the Serbian squad for the 2018 World Cup,[75] playing all three group stage matches.[76][77][78]
On 28 August 2020, the Football Association of Serbia announced that he had retired from international football; he made 48 appearances and scored two goals for Serbia.[79] He earned his final cap against Luxembourg on 10 September 2019.[80]
Style of play
A left-footed defensive midfielder, Matić's poise and power, in addition to his in-game intelligence and tactical awareness, have enabled his attacking teammates to flourish. He is often used at a holding position and screens the defence while providing cover for attacking movements. Just before he joined Manchester United, he had a tackle success rate of 75% in 123 Premier League appearances, a higher rate than N'Golo Kante, Ander Herrera, Fernandinho and Jordan Henderson.[81]José Mourinho commented on Matić, "At this moment, he is a giant, not for his size but for the way he plays."[4] Matić's qualities have led to comparison to his ex-teammate at Manchester United, Michael Carrick.[82] Prior to joining Benfica, he played as an attacking midfielder, before being shifted to a holding midfield role.[83]
Personal life
Matić's younger brother, Uroš, is also a professional footballer, playing for Abha Club, a team in Saudi Arabia.[84] Matić is of partial Macedonian descent as his maternal grandfather is from Volkovija.[85][86] Matić has three children with his wife, Aleksandra.[87]
Matić has admired former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane from an early age.[88]
In November 2018, Matić refused to wear a Remembrance poppy on his shirt for a match against Bournemouth.[89] After the match, Matić was castigated and got threats by a number of people via social networks for not respecting servicemen who have died in war.[90] Matić stated that he will not wear a poppy because his village of Vrelo was hit by the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999.[89]
Career statistics
Club
As of match played 15 December 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
^"Comunicado" [Announcement] (PDF) (in Portuguese). Portuguese Securities Market Commission. 15 January 2014. Archived(PDF) from the original on 9 July 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
^Assunção, Manuel (14 April 2012). "Crónica de jogo: A lei do Benfica" [Match report: The law of Benfica]. Público (in Portuguese). Lisbon. Archived from the original on 6 July 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
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