Nemanja Matić facts for kids

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Nemanja Matić
Personal information
Matić playing for Serbia at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Date of birth	(1988-08-01) 1 August 1988 (age 36)
Place of birth	Šabac, SR Serbia, Yugoslavia
Height	1.94 m
Playing position	Defensive midfielder
Club information
Current club	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	29	(0)
National team
2008–2010	Serbia U21	11	(2)
2008–2019	Serbia	48	(2)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23:21, 19 January 2025 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals).

Nemanja Matić (born 1 August 1988) is a professional footballer from Serbia. He plays as a defensive midfielder for the French club Lyon. Matić is known for playing consistently well and for his strong style of play on the field.

He started his senior career at Kolubara in Serbia. Then, in 2007, he joined the Slovak team Košice. In 2009, he moved to the English club Chelsea. During his first time at Chelsea, he didn't play much. He spent the 2010–11 season on loan at the Dutch club Vitesse.

In 2011, Matić moved to Benfica in Portugal. There, he changed his playing style from an attacking midfielder to a defensive one. He won the Primeira Liga Player of the Year award for his great performance in the 2012–13 season.

Matić returned to Chelsea in January 2014. He was a very important player for Chelsea when they won two Premier League titles. He was also chosen for the PFA Team of the Year in the 2014–15 season. In July 2017, he joined Manchester United, where he played for his former Chelsea manager, José Mourinho. He stayed with Manchester United until 2022. After that, he joined Roma in Italy, where he played under Mourinho again. In 2023, he moved to Rennes in France.

Matić also played for the Serbia under-21 team. He first played for the senior national team in 2008. He played 48 games for Serbia and scored two goals. He was part of Serbia's team at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Club Career Highlights
International Career for Serbia
How Nemanja Matić Plays
Personal Life
Career Statistics
- Club Appearances and Goals
- International Appearances and Goals
Football Achievements
Images for kids
See also

Club Career Highlights

Starting His Football Journey

Nemanja Matić was born in Šabac, Serbia. He started playing football when he was five years old. His first club was FK Vrelo, coached by his own father. He began his professional career at Kolubara. In 2007, he signed with the Slovak club Košice. While living in Slovakia, he also became a Slovak citizen.

First Time at Chelsea

On 18 August 2009, Matić joined Chelsea from Košice. He signed a four-year contract. He was given the number 24 shirt. Matić made his Premier League debut for Chelsea on 21 November. He came on as a substitute in a 4–0 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

On 23 August 2010, Matić went on a one-year loan to the Dutch club Vitesse.

Playing for Benfica

Matić playing for Benfica in 2012

On 31 January 2011, Matić agreed to join the Portuguese club Benfica. This was part of a deal for Chelsea to sign another player, David Luiz. At Benfica, his coach Jorge Jesus changed his position from an attacking player to a defensive midfielder.

On 14 April 2012, Matić won his first trophy with Benfica. They won the 2012 Taça da Liga Final against Gil Vicente.

On 13 January 2013, Matić scored a goal in a 2–2 draw against their rivals Porto. The next day, he signed a new contract with Benfica until 2018.

Matić was a key player for Benfica in the 2012–13 Primeira Liga season. Benfica was trying to win their first league title since 2010. On 15 May, Matić played against his old club Chelsea in the Europa League final. Benfica lost the match 2–1. On 4 July 2013, he was named Primeira Liga Player of the Year.

In the 2013–14 season, Matić helped Benfica win the Primeira Liga and the Taça de Portugal. On 13 January 2014, Matić came in second place for the 2013 FIFA Puskás Award for scoring a fantastic goal.

Back to Chelsea

Matić playing for Chelsea in 2015

On 15 January 2014, Matić rejoined Chelsea. He signed a five-and-a-half-year contract. He played his first game back for Chelsea four days later. It was a 3–1 win against Manchester United.

On 3 February, Matić started his first Premier League game for Chelsea. They won 1–0 against Manchester City. He was named man of the match for his performance.

Matić scored his first Premier League goal on 30 August 2014. It was in a 6–3 win against Everton. He also scored important goals in the Champions League.

On 21 February 2015, Matić received a red card in a game against Burnley. His suspension was later reduced to two matches.

On 26 April 2015, Matić was chosen for the PFA Team of the Year. This team includes the best players in the league.

On 12 September 2015, Matić scored his first goal of the 2015–16 Premier League season against Everton. On 24 October 2015, he was sent off again in a game against West Ham United.

In the 2016–17 Premier League season, Matić played as a central midfielder. He scored a goal in Chelsea's 4–2 FA Cup semi-final win over Tottenham Hotspur on 22 April 2017. On 8 May 2017, he scored his first goal at Chelsea's home stadium, Stamford Bridge.

Time at Manchester United

Matić playing for Manchester United in 2017

On 30 July 2017, Matić joined Manchester United. He signed a three-year contract. This meant he was reunited with his former Chelsea manager, José Mourinho.

Two days after signing, he played his first game for Manchester United in a friendly match. On 13 August 2017, Matić made his league debut in a 4–0 win over West Ham United. He was named Man of the Match. On 5 March 2018, Matić scored his first goal for the club. It was a great goal in a 3–2 comeback win against Crystal Palace. This goal was later voted Manchester United's goal of the season.

On 29 January 2020, Matić scored the only goal in a 1–0 win against Manchester City. However, he was also sent off during the game.

On 6 July 2020, Matić signed a new three-year contract with Manchester United. On 15 April 2022, Matić announced he would be leaving the club at the end of the season.

Moving to Roma

Matić defending against FC Red Bull Salzburg's Nicolás Capaldo in February 2023

On 14 June 2022, Matić joined Roma in Italy. He signed a one-year contract for free. This was his third time playing for manager José Mourinho. Matić said, "I already worked with him, we have a good connection and he is one of the reasons why I came here." On 14 August, he played his first game for Roma. He started in the Europa League final, but Roma lost the match on penalties.

Playing for Rennes

Matić with Rennes in 2023

On 14 August 2023, Matić joined the French club Rennes. He signed a two-year deal. Matić played in 13 Ligue 1 games. He also played in all 6 Europa League group stage games, helping Rennes move forward in the competition.

Joining Lyon

On 27 January 2024, Matić joined another French club, Lyon. He signed a two-and-a-half-year contract.

International Career for Serbia

Matić first played for the Serbia under-21 team on 11 October 2008. After playing three games and scoring two goals for the under-21 team, he was called up to the Serbian senior squad. He made his debut in a friendly game against Poland on 14 December 2008.

He played in the 2009 UEFA Euro Under-21 Championship. Matić got injured during a match against Italy. He broke a bone in his right foot and needed surgery.

In December 2012, Matić decided not to play for the Serbia national team for a while. He felt he was not given enough chances to play by the coach at the time. On 6 September 2013, Matić returned to his national team for a World Cup qualification match against Croatia.

He scored his first goal for Serbia on 29 March 2015. It was an amazing overhead kick goal in a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match against Portugal.

Matić playing for Serbia at the 2018 FIFA World Cup

In June 2018, Matić was chosen for the Serbian team for the 2018 World Cup. He played in all three group stage matches.

On 28 August 2020, it was announced that he had retired from playing for the national team. He played 48 games and scored two goals for Serbia. His last game was against Luxembourg on 10 September 2019.

How Nemanja Matić Plays

Nemanja Matić is a left-footed defensive midfielder. He is known for being calm and strong on the field. He also has great game intelligence and understands tactics very well. These skills help his attacking teammates play better. He often plays in a holding position, protecting the defense and helping with attacking plays.

Before he joined Benfica, he played as an attacking midfielder. But then he changed to a holding midfield role, which is where he became famous. His coach, José Mourinho, once said about Matić, "At this moment, he is a giant, not for his size but for the way he plays."

Personal Life

Nemanja Matić has a younger brother named Uroš. Uroš is also a professional footballer.

Matić has three children with his wife, Aleksandra. He has always admired former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane.

In November 2018, Matić chose not to wear a Remembrance poppy on his shirt for a match. He explained that his home village was affected by events in 1999.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances and Goals

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			National cup		League cup		Europe		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Košice	2006–07	Slovak Superliga	14	1	0	0	—		—		—		14	1
	2007–08	Slovak Superliga	26	1	0	0	—		—		—		26	1
	2008–09	Slovak Superliga	29	2	0	0	—		—		—		29	2
	2009–10	Slovak Superliga	1	0	0	0	—		0	0	—		1	0
	Total		70	4	0	0	—		0	0	—		70	4
Chelsea	2009–10	Premier League	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
	2010–11	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
Vitesse (loan)	2010–11	Eredivisie	27	2	2	0	—		—		—		29	2
Benfica	2011–12	Primeira Liga	16	1	2	0	2	0	10	0	—		30	1
	2012–13	Primeira Liga	26	3	7	1	1	0	13	1	—		47	5
	2013–14	Primeira Liga	14	2	2	0	0	0	6	1	—		22	3
	Total		56	6	11	1	3	0	29	2	—		99	9
Chelsea	2013–14	Premier League	17	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	—		19	0
	2014–15	Premier League	36	1	0	0	5	0	8	2	—		49	3
	2015–16	Premier League	33	2	3	0	1	0	5	0	1	0	43	2
	2016–17	Premier League	35	1	3	1	2	0	—		—		40	2
	Total		121	4	8	1	8	0	13	2	1	0	151	7
Manchester United	2017–18	Premier League	36	1	4	1	1	0	7	0	1	0	49	2
	2018–19	Premier League	28	1	3	0	1	0	6	0	—		38	1
	2019–20	Premier League	21	0	5	0	3	1	5	0	—		34	1
	2020–21	Premier League	20	0	3	0	2	0	11	0	—		36	0
	2021–22	Premier League	23	0	0	0	1	0	8	0	—		32	0
	Total		128	2	15	1	8	1	37	0	1	0	189	4
Roma	2022–23	Serie A	35	2	2	0	—		13	0	—		50	2
Rennes	2023–24	Ligue 1	13	0	0	0	—		6	0	—		19	0
Lyon	2023–24	Ligue 1	15	0	4	0	—		—		—		19	0
	2024–25	Ligue 1	14	0	2	1	—		5	0	—		21	1
	Total		29	0	6	1	—		5	0	—		40	1
Career total			497	22	45	4	19	1	103	4	2	0	666	31

International Appearances and Goals

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Serbia	2008	1	0
	2009	1	0
	2010	0	0
	2011	0	0
	2012	3	0
	2013	4	0
	2014	9	0
	2015	8	1
	2016	4	0
	2017	6	1
	2018	10	0
	2019	2	0
Total		48	2

Serbia score listed first, score column indicates score after each Matić goal

List of international goals scored by Nemanja Matić
No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	29 March 2015	Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal	19	Portugal	1–1	1–2	UEFA Euro 2016 qualification
2	6 October 2017	Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria	35	Austria	2–2	2–3	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification

Football Achievements

Košice

Slovak Cup: 2008–09

Chelsea

Premier League: 2014–15, 2016–17
FA Cup: 2009–10
EFL Cup: 2014–15

Benfica

Primeira Liga: 2013–14
Taça de Portugal: 2013–14
Taça da Liga: 2011–12, 2013–14

Individual Awards

LPFP Primeira Liga Player of the Year: 2012–13
Serbian Footballer of the Year: 2014, 2015
SJPF Player of the Month: December 2012, January 2013, April 2013
PFA Team of the Year: 2014–15 Premier League
Manchester United Goal of the Season: 2017–18 (vs. Crystal Palace, 5 March 2018)
UEFA Europa League Team of the Season: 2022–23