Matija Nastasić facts for kids
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Nastasić with Schalke 04 in 2018
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matija Nastasić | ||
| Date of birth | 28 March 1993 | ||
| Place of birth | Valjevo, Serbia, FR Yugoslavia | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2008 | ZSK Valjevo | ||
| 2008–2010 | Partizan | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2010–2011 | Partizan | 0 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | → Teleoptik (loan) | 21 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | Fiorentina | 26 | (2) |
| 2012–2014 | Manchester City | 34 | (0) |
| 2015–2021 | Schalke 04 | 122 | (1) |
| 2021–2022 | Fiorentina | 5 | (0) |
| 2022–2024 | Mallorca | 40 | (2) |
| 2024–2025 | Leganés | 26 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2009–2010 | Serbia U17 | 9 | (2) |
| 2010–2011 | Serbia U19 | 3 | (0) |
| 2011–2013 | Serbia U21 | 6 | (1) |
| 2012–2022 | Serbia | 34 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 27 May 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 29 March 2022 |
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Matija Nastasić (born on March 28, 1993) is a professional footballer from Serbia. He plays as a centre-back, which is a defensive position, for the Serbia national football team.
Matija started his football journey at Partizan in Serbia. After a loan spell at Teleoptik, he moved to Italy to play for Fiorentina in 2011. Just one season later, he joined Manchester City in England. There, he helped his team win the Premier League title in 2014, even though he faced some injuries. In 2015, he moved to Schalke 04 in Germany, where he played for seven years. He then returned to Fiorentina in 2021, before playing for Mallorca in Spain. Since August 2024, he has been playing for Leganés, also in Spain.
Matija Nastasić first played for the senior Serbian national team in 2012. He has played in over 30 international matches for his country.
Contents
Matija's Club Career
Starting at Partizan
Matija Nastasić grew up playing football in the youth academy of Partizan, a famous club in Serbia. He found it hard to get a spot in Partizan's main team. So, he was loaned to FK Teleoptik, another Serbian team that played in the second division.
While at Teleoptik, Matija played 21 games. He was a young, left-footed centre-back who caught the attention of Fiorentina from Italy. Fiorentina decided to sign him for about €4 million.
Playing for Fiorentina
When Matija first joined Fiorentina, he spent some time with their youth team. However, because the main team needed more good defenders, he often trained with them. His fellow Serbian and Fiorentina manager, Siniša Mihajlović, gave him his first game in Italy's top league, Serie A, on September 11, 2011. Fiorentina won that game 2–0 against Bologna.
Matija played 25 more games that season. One game, against Milan, really showed off his skills. He was great at tackling, comfortable with the ball, and understood the game well. These qualities led to a big move to the English team Manchester City.
Time at Manchester City
Matija Nastasić signed a five-year contract with Manchester City in 2012. He made his first appearance for the club on September 18, 2012, in a Champions League match against Real Madrid. His first game in the Premier League was on September 29, when Manchester City won 2–1 against Fulham.
Matija quickly became a regular player in the starting team. His excellent performances earned him the club's Player of the Month award for November. Fans really liked him, and he became a key defender. He even started in the 2013 FA Cup Final. In May 2013, he was named Manchester City's Young Player of the Season.
The next season, 2013–14, was tougher for Matija because of injuries. He played in 13 league games. Despite his injuries, Manchester City won the Premier League title that season.
Moving to Schalke 04
On January 13, 2015, Matija was loaned to the German club Schalke 04. He had not played for Manchester City that season. He made his debut for Schalke on January 31, helping them win 1–0 against Hannover 96.
On March 11, 2015, Schalke 04 made his move permanent, and Matija signed a four-year contract with the German club. On August 8, 2015, Matija scored his first goal for Schalke in a big 5–0 win against MSV Duisburg in a cup match. In June 2018, he signed a new contract to stay with Schalke until the summer of 2022.
Back to Fiorentina
In August 2021, Matija Nastasić returned to Fiorentina in Italy. This happened after Schalke 04 was moved down to a lower league in Germany.
Playing for Mallorca
On September 1, 2022, Matija signed a one-year contract with Mallorca in Spain. He scored his first goal for Mallorca on April 26, 2023, with a header from a corner kick against Atlético Madrid. He returned to Mallorca again on September 1, 2023, for another year.
Joining Leganés
On August 30, 2024, Matija Nastasić joined Leganés, another team in Spain's top league. He signed a two-year contract. Matija scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid on January 18, 2025.
Matija's International Career
Matija Nastasić played for various Serbian youth football teams before joining the senior national team. He made his first appearance for the senior squad on February 29, 2012, in a friendly game against Cyprus. He was considered for the 2018 FIFA World Cup but was not part of the final team. As of January 2025, he has played 34 games for Serbia.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Teleoptik | 2009–10 | Serbian First League | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| 2010–11 | Serbian First League | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 0 | |||
| Total | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 0 | ||||
| Fiorentina | 2011–12 | Serie A | 25 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 2 | ||
| 2012–13 | Serie A | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| Total | 26 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 2 | ||||
| Manchester City | 2012–13 | Premier League | 21 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
| 2013–14 | Premier League | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 0 | |
| 2014–15 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 34 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 51 | 0 | ||
| Schalke 04 | 2014–15 | Bundesliga | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 18 | 0 | |
| 2015–16 | Bundesliga | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 1 | ||
| 2016–17 | Bundesliga | 22 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0 | — | 35 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | Bundesliga | 24 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 0 | |||
| 2018–19 | Bundesliga | 28 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 37 | 1 | ||
| 2019–20 | Bundesliga | 16 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 0 | |||
| 2020–21 | Bundesliga | 15 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 0 | |||
| Total | 122 | 1 | 17 | 1 | 18 | 0 | — | 157 | 2 | |||
| Fiorentina | 2021–22 | Serie A | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | |
| Mallorca | 2022–23 | La Liga | 14 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 1 | ||
| 2023–24 | La Liga | 26 | 2 | 6 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 2 | |||
| Total | 40 | 3 | 9 | 0 | — | — | 49 | 3 | ||||
| Leganés | 2024–25 | La Liga | 15 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 263 | 7 | 37 | 1 | 28 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 331 | 8 | ||
International Appearances
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serbia | 2012 | 6 | 0 |
| 2013 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 34 | 0 | |
Awards and Achievements
Manchester City
- Premier League: 2013–14
Individual Awards
- Manchester City Young Player of the Year: 2012–13
See also
In Spanish: Matija Nastasić para niños
