Nemanja Matić
Serbian footballer (born 1988) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Nemanja Matić (Serbian Cyrillic: Немања Матић, pronounced [němaɲa mǎːtitɕ]; 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]
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Nemanja Matić[1] | ||
Date of birth | (1988-08-01) 1 August 1988 (age 35)[2] | ||
Place of birth |
Šabac, SR Serbia, Yugoslavia | ||
Height | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)[3] | ||
Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Lyon | ||
Number | 31 | ||
Youth career | |||
1993–1997 | Vrelo | ||
1997–2000 | Obrenovac 1905 | ||
2000–2004 | Red Star Belgrade | ||
2004–2005 | Partizan | ||
2005–2006 | Jedinstvo Ub | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2006–2007 | Kolubara | 16 | (2) |
2007–2009 | Košice | 70 | (4) |
2009–2011 | Chelsea | 2 | (0) |
2010–2011 | → Vitesse (loan) | 27 | (2) |
2011–2014 | Benfica | 56 | (6) |
2014–2017 | Chelsea | 121 | (4) |
2017–2022 | Manchester United | 128 | (2) |
2022–2023 | Roma | 35 | (2) |
2023–2024 | Rennes | 13 | (0) |
2024– | Lyon | 11 | (0) |
International career | |||
2008–2010 | Serbia U21 | 11 | (2) |
2008–2019 | Serbia | 48 | (2) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:21, 21 April 2024 (UTC) |
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 Serbia at under-21 level. He made his senior international debut in 2008 and scored twice in 48 appearances. He was part of Serbia's squad at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.