Matheus Cunha facts for kids
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Cunha with Brazil in 2026
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matheus Santos Carneiro da Cunha | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 27 May 1999 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Forward, attacking midfielder, winger | |||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Manchester United | |||||||||||||||
| Number | 10 | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| –2017 | Coritiba | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Sion | 29 | (10) | |||||||||||||
| 2018–2020 | RB Leipzig | 35 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | Hertha BSC | 39 | (12) | |||||||||||||
| 2021–2023 | Atlético Madrid | 40 | (6) | |||||||||||||
| 2023 | → Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) | 17 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2023–2025 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 65 | (27) | |||||||||||||
| 2025– | Manchester United | 33 | (10) | |||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||
| Brazil U23 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2021– | Brazil | 28 | (4) | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:43, 17 May 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:16, 5 July 2026 (UTC) |
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Matheus Santos Carneiro da Cunha (born on May 27, 1999) is a talented Brazilian professional footballer. He plays as a forward, attacking midfielder, or winger for the English club Manchester United and also represents the Brazil national team.
Matheus Cunha started his youth football journey in Brazil with Coritiba. When he was 18, he moved to Europe to play for the Swiss club Sion. He then played for German Bundesliga clubs RB Leipzig and Hertha BSC before joining Atlético Madrid in Spain in August 2021. In January 2023, he moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers, first on loan, and then permanently. In August 2025, Manchester United signed him for a transfer fee of £62.5 million.
Cunha achieved a great success by winning a gold medal with the Brazil under-23 team at the 2020 Summer Olympics. He made his first appearance for the senior Brazil national team in September 2021 and played for Brazil in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
His Early Life and Football Journey
Cunha was born in the city of João Pessoa, Brazil. He first played futsal, which is a type of indoor football, for a club in Recife before he started playing regular football.
Playing for Clubs Across Europe
Starting in Switzerland: FC Sion
Cunha played youth football for Coritiba. He joined the Swiss club Sion in July 2017 when he was 18. He had impressed scouts at a youth tournament called the Dallas Cup. In May 2018, he scored three goals in one game, which is called a hat-trick, helping Sion win 4–1 against Thun.
Moving to Germany: RB Leipzig
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On June 24, 2018, Cunha joined the German Bundesliga club RB Leipzig. He signed a five-year contract. He scored his first Bundesliga goal against his future club Hertha BSC in November 2018, helping his team win 3–0. In April 2019, he scored a goal against Bayer Leverkusen that was so good it won the Bundesliga Goal of the Month award. It was even nominated for the FIFA Puskás Award, which is given for the most beautiful goal of the year. He scored 6 goals in the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League season.
Joining Hertha BSC
On January 31, 2020, Cunha moved to another Bundesliga team, Hertha BSC. He had played 10 games for RB Leipzig that season, mostly as a substitute, and scored one goal.
Time at Atlético Madrid
On August 25, 2021, Cunha joined the Spanish club Atlético Madrid. He signed a five-year deal, and the transfer fee was estimated to be around €30 million. He scored his first goal for Atlético Madrid against Levante, helping them secure a 2–2 draw.
Exciting Times at Wolverhampton Wanderers
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On January 1, 2023, Cunha joined Wolverhampton Wanderers, often called Wolves, on a loan deal for the rest of the 2022–23 season. The agreement said that the move would become permanent in the summer of 2023 if certain conditions were met, which they were. Cunha played his first game for Wolves as a substitute in a 1–1 draw away to Aston Villa on January 4. He scored his first goal for Wolves in a 4–2 loss at home to Leeds United on March 18.
His first goal of the 2023–24 Premier League season came in a 3–2 loss away to Crystal Palace on September 3, 2023. He scored his first FA Cup goal from a penalty kick in extra-time during a 3–2 replay victory over Brentford at Molineux on January 16, 2024. He scored again in the next round against West Bromwich Albion in a 2–0 win on January 28. On February 4, he scored his first hat-trick for Wolves in a fantastic 4–2 away victory against Chelsea. This made him only the second Wolves player to score a Premier League hat-trick and one of only four opposition players to score a hat-trick at Stamford Bridge in Premier League history. He scored 14 goals during that season.
Cunha scored his first goal of the 2024–25 season in a 6–2 home defeat to Chelsea. He also scored in losses to Aston Villa and Brentford before scoring a late goal to draw against Brighton & Hove Albion, earning Wolves their second point of the season.
Cunha then scored Wolves' second goal in a 2–0 win over Southampton, which was the team's first victory of the season. Two weeks later, he scored two goals (a brace) in a 4–1 win over Fulham, helping the team move out of the relegation zone.
On December 14, 2024, during a match against Ipswich Town, Matheus Cunha was involved in an incident that led to a disciplinary review by the Football Association. He received a two-game suspension and a fine of £80,000 for his actions. On February 1, 2025, he extended his contract with the club until 2029, shortly after scoring in Wolves' 2–0 victory over Aston Villa. Cunha finished the 2024–25 season with 15 league goals, which was his personal best and made him the club's top scorer.
Joining Manchester United
On June 1, 2025, fellow Premier League club Manchester United announced they had agreed to transfer Cunha from Wolves. On June 12, 2025, United completed the transfer for a reported fee of £62.5 million. He made his debut for the club on August 17 in a 1–0 loss against Arsenal in the league.
On August 27, 2025, during the second round of the EFL Cup against League Two side Grimsby Town, Cunha missed a penalty kick in a shootout. However, another new United player, Bryan Mbeumo, also missed, and United lost the shootout. Later that year, on October 25, he scored his first goal for Manchester United in a 4–2 win over Brighton with a powerful shot from outside the box. On January 25, 2026, he scored the winning goal in a 3–2 away win over Arsenal, giving his club their first league win at the Emirates Stadium since December 2017.
Representing Brazil on the International Stage
Success with Brazil's Under-23 Team
With Brazil's under-23 team, Cunha was the top scorer in the 2019 Toulon Tournament, which Brazil won. He was also the top scorer in the 2020 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament, where Brazil finished as runner-up, securing their spot in the Olympics. On June 17, 2021, he was chosen for Brazil's squad for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. In August 2021, he won a gold medal with Brazil at the Olympics, scoring 3 goals in 5 games during the tournament.
Playing for the Senior Brazil Team
In September 2020, Cunha was called up to the senior Brazil squad for 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification matches.
He made his debut for the senior national team on September 2, 2021, in a World Cup qualifier against Chile, which Brazil won 1–0. He came on as a substitute in the 78th minute.
He scored his first international goal for Brazil on March 25, 2025, in a 4–1 away defeat to Argentina.
In May 2026, Cunha was selected for Brazil's squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In Brazil's second group match on June 19, he scored two goals in a 3–0 victory over Haiti. On June 24, 2026, he scored another goal in a 3-0 victory over Scotland.
Matheus Cunha's Playing Style and Celebrations
How He Plays the Game
Matheus Cunha is a very flexible forward. He can play as a central striker, an attacking midfielder, or an inside forward. He is known for his ability to carry the ball, move well around the field, and shoot accurately from long distances. His main strengths are helping the team move the ball forward, dribbling in small spaces, and both scoring goals and setting up goals for others (assists).
He is also known for playing with a lot of instinct and emotion. He has described himself as a "maverick" who likes freedom more than strict rules. Even though he isn't always known for running a lot, he has shown impressive defensive skills, especially in winning the ball back and stopping passes.
His Famous Surfing Goal Celebration
Cunha is famous for his surfing-themed goal celebration. When he scores, he bends his knees and spreads his arms out, pretending to balance on a surfboard. He first did this celebration after scoring a winning goal for Wolverhampton Wanderers against AFC Bournemouth on February 22, 2025. Cunha later explained that he learned to surf in a small village near his hometown in Brazil and started to think of himself as a surfer. This celebration has now become one of his well-known trademarks at Manchester United.
Career Statistics
Club Performance
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sion | 2017–18 | Swiss Super League | 29 | 10 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 32 | 10 | ||
| RB Leipzig | 2018–19 | Bundesliga | 25 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | 12 | 6 | — | 39 | 9 | ||
| 2019–20 | Bundesliga | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | |||
| Total | 35 | 2 | 3 | 1 | — | 14 | 6 | — | 52 | 9 | ||||
| Hertha BSC | 2019–20 | Bundesliga | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 11 | 5 | |||
| 2020–21 | Bundesliga | 27 | 7 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 28 | 8 | ||||
| 2021–22 | Bundesliga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 39 | 12 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 40 | 13 | |||||
| Atlético Madrid | 2021–22 | La Liga | 29 | 6 | 2 | 1 | — | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 7 | |
| 2022–23 | La Liga | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | — | 17 | 0 | |||
| Total | 40 | 6 | 3 | 1 | — | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 54 | 7 | |||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) | 2022–23 | Premier League | 17 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 2 | ||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2023–24 | Premier League | 32 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 14 | ||
| 2024–25 | Premier League | 33 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 17 | |||
| Wolves total | 82 | 29 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 92 | 33 | ||||
| Manchester United | 2025–26 | Premier League | 33 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 35 | 10 | ||
| Career total | 258 | 69 | 16 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 26 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 305 | 82 | ||
International Performance
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 2021 | 4 | 0 |
| 2022 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2026 | 9 | 3 | |
| Total | 28 | 4 | |
- Brazil score listed first, score column indicates score after each Cunha goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 March 2025 | Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina | 13 |  Argentina |
1–2 | 1–4 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 19 June 2026 | Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, United States | 25 |  Haiti |
1–0 | 3–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup |
| 3 | 2–0 | ||||||
| 4 | 24 June 2026 | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, United States | 26 |  Scotland |
3–0 | 3–0 |
Awards and Achievements
Brazil U23
- Summer Olympics: 2020 (Gold Medal)
- Toulon Tournament: 2019
Individual
- Wolverhampton Wanderers Players' Player of the Season: 2024–25
