Matthijs de Ligt facts for kids
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De Ligt with Bayern Munich in 2022
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matthijs de Ligt | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 12 August 1999 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Leiderdorp, Netherlands | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | |||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Manchester United | |||||||||||||||
| Number | 4 | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| Abcoude | ||||||||||||||||
| –2016 | Ajax | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Jong Ajax | 17 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2016–2019 | Ajax | 77 | (8) | |||||||||||||
| 2019–2022 | Juventus | 87 | (8) | |||||||||||||
| 2022–2024 | Bayern Munich | 53 | (5) | |||||||||||||
| 2024– | Manchester United | 29 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | Netherlands U15 | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Netherlands U16 | 8 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Netherlands U17 | 14 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2016 | Netherlands U19 | 6 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2017– | Netherlands | 50 | (2) | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:10, 4 May 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 16:25, 22 March 2025 (UTC) |
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Matthijs de Ligt (born 12 August 1999) is a Dutch professional footballer. He plays mainly as a centre-back for Premier League club Manchester United. He also plays for the Netherlands national team. De Ligt is known for his strength, leadership, strong tackling, and ability to win balls in the air.
De Ligt started his senior career at Ajax in September 2016. He scored in his first game, becoming one of the club's youngest goalscorers ever. In May 2017, he became the youngest player to appear in a major European final. This was when he played against Manchester United in the Europa League final. In December 2018, he won the Golden Boy award. This award is given to the best young footballer in Europe under 21. He was the first defender to win it. The next season, De Ligt helped Ajax win both the national league and cup. They also reached the semi-finals of the Champions League.
His great performances led him to join Serie A club Juventus in 2019. Soon after, he won the Kopa Trophy for the world's best under-21 player. He helped Juventus win the league title in his first season. He also won the Italian Cup in his second year. After three years in Italy, De Ligt moved to Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich in 2022. He won another league title in his first season there. In 2024, he joined Manchester United.
De Ligt made his debut for the Netherlands national team in 2017. He was only 17, making him the youngest player to start for the team since 1931. He played for the Netherlands in UEFA Euro 2020 and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Playing for Ajax
Matthijs de Ligt joined the Ajax youth academy when he was nine years old. He came from his local club in Abcoude, near Amsterdam. At first, some coaches thought he was too slow. However, he worked hard and showed his talent.
Early Days and Senior Debut
De Ligt first played for Jong Ajax on 8 August 2016. This was in a game against Emmen. He played the whole game. During that season, he played 17 matches for Jong Ajax.
On 21 September, De Ligt made his debut for Ajax's main team. This was in a cup game against Willem II. He scored a goal from a corner kick after 25 minutes. This made him the second-youngest goalscorer for the club. Ajax won that game 5–0. On 24 October, Ajax announced that De Ligt had joined the senior squad permanently.
De Ligt quickly became a regular player in the first team. He played in 11 league matches and nine Europa League games. On 24 May, he became the youngest player ever to play in a major European final. He was 17 years and 285 days old. This was against Manchester United in the 2017 UEFA Europa League Final.
Becoming a Star and Captain
After a teammate left in August 2017, De Ligt became a regular starter. In March 2018, he was named the youngest captain of Ajax. He played in 37 matches that season and scored three goals. Many big clubs in Europe became interested in him.
On 17 December 2018, De Ligt won the Golden Boy award. He was the first defender to ever win this award. On 13 February 2019, he became the youngest captain in a Champions League knockout game. He was 19 years and 186 days old. This game was against Real Madrid. On 27 February 2019, he played his 100th official game for Ajax. This made him the youngest Ajax player to reach this milestone.
On 16 April 2019, De Ligt scored the winning goal in the Champions League quarter-final. This goal against Juventus sent Ajax to the semi-finals. It was their first time reaching this stage since 1997.
Time at Juventus
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On 18 July 2019, De Ligt joined Serie A champions Juventus. He signed a five-year contract. His first official game for Juventus was on 31 August. It was a 4–3 home win against Napoli. On 3 November, he scored his first goal for the club. This was in a 1–0 away win against Torino.
Playing for Bayern Munich
On 19 July 2022, De Ligt signed with Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich. He signed a five-year contract. On 21 August, he scored his first Bundesliga goal. This was in a big 7–0 away win against Bochum.
On 8 March 2023, in a Champions League game, he made a crucial goal-line clearance. This helped Bayern win 2–0 and move to the quarter-finals. On 8 April, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 away win against Freiburg. This goal was voted Bayern's goal of the month. He was also named player of the month for March and April.
Joining Manchester United
In the summer of 2024, many top European clubs wanted De Ligt. Manchester United showed a lot of interest. On 9 July 2024, it was reported that De Ligt had agreed to join Manchester United. The transfer was confirmed on 13 August. De Ligt signed a five-year contract with the club.
On 16 August, he made his debut for Manchester United. He came on as a substitute in a 1–0 win against Fulham. On 14 September, he scored his first goal for the club. This was in a 3–0 win against Southampton.
International Career
Youth Teams
De Ligt played for the Netherlands at various youth levels. These included the under-15, under-16, under-17, and under-19 teams.
Senior National Team
Early Senior Appearances
On 25 March 2017, De Ligt made his debut for the Dutch senior squad. This was in a 2–0 loss against Bulgaria. He was 17 years old, making him the youngest player to start for the national team since 1931. He scored his first goal for the Netherlands on 24 March 2019. This was in a 3–2 loss against Germany.
In May 2019, De Ligt was part of the Netherlands' squad for the first Nations League Finals. On 5 June 2019, he scored a header in a 3–1 win against England in the semi-final. Four days later, he played in the final, where the Netherlands lost 1–0 to Portugal.
Recent International Games
De Ligt was in the Netherlands' squad for UEFA Euro 2020. He made his tournament debut against Austria on 17 June 2021. He was sent off in the Netherlands' 2–0 loss to the Czech Republic in the round of 16.
On 14 June 2022, De Ligt was captain of the Netherlands for the first time. This was in a 3–2 win against Wales. In November, he was named in the Dutch squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He started the team's first match against Senegal. He also came on as a substitute in a 3–1 win against the United States. He had to withdraw from the 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals due to a calf injury.
On 29 May 2024, De Ligt was named in the Netherlands' squad for UEFA Euro 2024. However, he did not play in any matches during the tournament.
How He Plays
Experts consider De Ligt one of the most promising young players in football. He won the 2018 Golden Boy award, which shows how highly he is rated.
De Ligt is a strong and skilled right-footed centre-back. He is known for his clean tackles and good understanding of the game. He is tall and strong, which helps him win aerial duels. He can also pass the ball well, helping his team start attacks from the back. His playing style is often compared to famous defenders like Gerard Piqué.
A profile on UEFA.com described De Ligt as a "natural leader." It said he is a strong central defender who is good in the air. He is calm with the ball and can play out from the back. His smart positioning helps him stop fast attackers. He was even made Ajax captain at just 18 years old.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher praised De Ligt's "physical abilities" and "leadership qualities." Carragher said he plays "like he's 24 or 25," showing how mature and strong he is. While very talented, he has sometimes been criticized for making small mistakes. However, many believe he will overcome these as he gains more experience.
Personal Life
On 7 June 2024, De Ligt married his long-time girlfriend, Annekee Molenaar. She is a Dutch model and the daughter of Keje Molenaar.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Jong Ajax | 2016–17 | Eerste Divisie | 17 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 17 | 1 | ||||
| Ajax | 2016–17 | Eredivisie | 11 | 2 | 3 | 1 | — | 9 | 0 | — | 23 | 3 | ||
| 2017–18 | Eredivisie | 33 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | — | 39 | 3 | |||
| 2018–19 | Eredivisie | 33 | 3 | 5 | 1 | — | 17 | 3 | — | 55 | 7 | |||
| Total | 77 | 8 | 10 | 2 | — | 30 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 117 | 13 | |||
| Juventus | 2019–20 | Serie A | 29 | 4 | 4 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 4 | |
| 2020–21 | Serie A | 27 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 1 | ||
| 2021–22 | Serie A | 31 | 3 | 4 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 3 | ||
| Total | 87 | 8 | 12 | 0 | — | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 117 | 8 | |||
| Bayern Munich | 2022–23 | Bundesliga | 31 | 3 | 4 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 3 | |
| 2023–24 | Bundesliga | 22 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 2 | ||
| Total | 53 | 5 | 5 | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 73 | 5 | |||
| Manchester United | 2024–25 | Premier League | 29 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | — | 42 | 2 | |
| 2025–26 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 29 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 263 | 24 | 29 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 70 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 366 | 29 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 2017 | 3 | 0 |
| 2018 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 10 | 2 | |
| 2021 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 50 | 2 | |
- Scores and results list the Netherlands' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each De Ligt goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 March 2019 | Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands | 15 |  Germany |
1–2 | 2–3 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying | |
| 2 | 6 June 2019 | Estádio D. Afonso Henriques, Guimarães, Portugal | 16 |  England |
1–1 | 3–1 (aet) | 2019 UEFA Nations League Finals |
Awards and Honours
Ajax
- Eredivisie: 2018–19
- KNVB Cup: 2018–19
- UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2016–17
Juventus
- Serie A: 2019–20
- Coppa Italia: 2020–21; runner-up: 2019–20, 2021–22
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2020
Bayern Munich
- Bundesliga: 2022–23
- DFL-Supercup: 2022
Manchester United
- UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2024–25
Netherlands
- UEFA Nations League runner-up: 2019
Individual Awards
- ABN AMRO Future Cup Best Player: 2015
- Copa Amsterdam Best Player: 2015
- Ajax Talent of the Future (Sjaak Swart Award): 2016
- UEFA European Under-17 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2016
- Ajax Talent of the Year (Marco van Basten Award): 2018
- UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season: 2016–17
- UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season: 2018–19
- Eredivisie Team of the Year: 2017–18, 2018–19
- Johan Cruyff Trophy: 2017–18
- Dutch Footballer of the Year: 2018–19
- Golden Boy: 2018
- FIFA FIFPro World11: 2019
- IFFHS Men's World Team: 2019
- Kopa Trophy: 2019
- UEFA Team of the Year: 2019
- UEFA Nations League Finals Team of the Tournament: 2019
- Bundesliga Rookie of the Month: April 2023
- Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2022–23
- VDV Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2022–23
- Bundesliga Goal of the Season: 2022–23
See also
In Spanish: Matthijs de Ligt para niños
