| General |
| Nemanja Matić | ||
| ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name: | Nemanja Matić | |
| Date of birth: | 1 August 1988 | |
| Place of birth: | Šabac,  SFR Yugoslavia
| |
| Height: | 1.94 m (6 ft 41⁄2 in) | |
| Playing position: | Defensive midfielder | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club |  Lyon
| |
| Number: | 31 | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| 1993–1997 1997–2008 2000–2004 2004 2010–2011 |
 Vrelo Obrenovac 1905 Red Star Belgrade Partizan Jedinstvo Ub
| |
| Senior clubs | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls) |
| 2005–2007 2007–2009 2009–2011 2010–2011 2011–2014 2014–2017 2017–2022 2022–2023 2023–2024 2024– |
Jedinstvo Ub Košice Chelsea → Vitesse (loan) Benfica Chelsea Manchester United Roma Rennes Lyon
|
16 (0) 70 (4) 2 (0) 27 (2) 56 (6) 121 (4) 128 (2) 35 (4) 13 (0) 0 (0) |
| National team | ||
| 2008–2010 2008–2019 |
Serbia U21 Serbia
|
11 (2) 48 (9) |
Nemanja Matić (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. He is known for his consistent performances on the pitch and his combative style of play.
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 Stamford Bridge, 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 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.
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.
Club career[]
Early career[]
Chelsea[]
On 18 August 2009, Matić signed for Chelsea from MFK Košice for a fee of around £1.5 million in a four-year contract. He was given the number 24 shirt by Chelsea but wasn't able to make his debut immediately due to the injury he picked up at the 2009 under-21 championships. He was on the bench for Chelsea's League Cup match against Queens Park Rangers on 23 September 2009, but did not take any part in the 1–0 victory. Matić made his Premier League debut for Chelsea on 21 November, coming on as a substitute for Florent Malouda in the 69th minute in a 4–0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. On 23 August 2010, Matić transferred to Dutch Eredivisie club Vitesse on a one-year loan, together with teammates Slobodan Rajković and Matej Delač.
Benfica[]
On 31 January 2011, Matić was transferred to Portuguese club Benfica along with €25 million (£21M) in a swap deal for Brazilian centre back David Luiz. On 13 January 2013, Matić scored Benfica's first goal in an entertaining 2–2 draw with O Clássico rivals Porto. The next day, he was awarded with a contract extension lasting until 2018, with the buyout clause set at €45 million.
In Benfica's second-leg Round of 32 Europa League clash with Bayer Leverkusen, Matić headed in a late goal after a cross from Lima to seal a 3–1 aggregate victory. Matić was an integral member throughout the Primeira Liga campaign as Benfica looked to claim the club's first league championship since 2010. Going into the penultimate game of the season against rivals Porto, both teams were undefeated in league play, but a stoppage-time winner from substitute Kelvin gave Porto a 2–1 victory, a win which eventually sealed a third straight title for the Dragons.
On 15 May, Matić faced former employers Chelsea in the Europa League final in Amsterdam but was on the losing side as Benfica fell to a 2–1 defeat, courtesy of a last minute Branislav Ivanović header. On 4 July 2013, he was named Primeira Liga Player of the Year, after having won the monthly award three times over the course of the season. On 13 January 2014, Matić placed second in FIFA Puskás Award.
Return to Chelsea[]
On 15 January 2014, Matić rejoined Chelsea for a fee of £21 million, on a five-and-a-half-year contract. He made his second debut for the club four days later, replacing Willian in a 3-1 win against Manchester United.
Manchester United[]
On 30 July 2017, a photo was leaked of Matić wearing a Manchester United training kit printed with the number 31 vacated by Bastian Schweinsteiger the previous March, fuelling rumours that Matić was on the verge of a reunion with former Chelsea manager José Mourinho. Manchester United confirmed the deal the next day, with Matić signing a three-year contract with an option for an extra year, for a fee reported to be in the region of £40 million.
Two days after signing, he made his first appearance in a friendly against Sampdoria, finishing in a 2–1 win over the Italian side. On 13 August 2017, Matić made his league debut in a 4–0 win over West Ham United at Old Trafford, in which he was named Man of the Match. On 5 March 2018, Matić scored his first goal for the club with a half-volley in a 3–2 comeback win over Crystal Palace after being 2–0 down. The goal was later voted Manchester United goal of the season.
During the boxing day matches of the 2018–19 Premier League, Matić scored his first goal of the season and his second for Manchester United in a 3–1 win over Huddersfield Town.
On 29 January 2020, Matić scored the only goal in a 1–0 derby win; however he was also sent off during the game which United lost 3–2 on aggregate.
On 17 March 2020, Manchester United announced that they would be triggering a clause in Matić's contract to extend it by another year. His contract had been due to expire in the summer of 2020, but this means he will enter his 4th year with the club.On 6 July 2020, Matić signed a new three-year contract with the club, securing his future until 2023.
On 15 April 2022, Matić announced he would be leaving the club at the end of the season.
International career[]
Matić's debut for the Serbia under-21 team came in a match against Denmark on 11 October 2008. After three matches and two goals for the Serbia under-21 squad, he was called up to the Serbian senior squad and made his debut in a friendly against Poland on 14 December 2008 in a 1–0 loss.
Matić took part in the 2009 UEFA Euro under-21 Championship, where he played 85 minutes in the first group match against Italy in a 0–0 draw. Matić, however, injured himself after contact with Italian forward Sebastian Giovinco. He broke the fifth metatarsal in his right foot and was forced to undergo surgery.
In December 2012, Matić announced he would not play for the Serbian national team while Siniša Mihajlović is the coach. The reason he gave for this decision is that he felt he was not given the right opportunity by the coach not playing a single minute in his last five call-ups. On 6 September 2013, Matić returned to his national team on a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Croatia, being sent off at 75th minute.
Honours[]
Clubs[]
- Košice
- Slovak Cup: 2008–09
- Chelsea
- Benfica
- Primeira Liga: 2013–14
- Taça de Portugal: 2013–14
- Taça da Liga: 2011–12
- Manchester United
- Roma
- UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2022–23
Individual[]
- Primeira Liga Player of the Year: 2012–13
- SJPF Player of the Month: December 2012, January 2013, April 2013
- FIFA Puskás Award: Runner-up 2013
- Serbian Player of the Year: 2014, 2015
- Premier League PFA Team of the Year: 2014–15
- Manchester United Goal of the Season: 2017–18 (vs. Crystal Palace, 5 March 2018)
- UEFA Europa League Team of the Season: 2022–23
External links[]
| Olympique Lyonnais squad - 2024–25 |
|
1 Perri · 3 Tagliafico · 4 Akouokou · 7 Veretout · 8 Tolisso · 10 Lacazette (c) · 11 Fofana · 15 Tessmann · 16 Abner · 17 Benrahma · 18 Cherki · 19 Niakhaté · 20 Kumbedi · 22 Mata · 23 Almada · 27 Omari · 31 Matić · 37 Nuamah · 40 Descamps · 50 Diarra · 55 Ćaleta-Car · 69 Mikautadze · 98 Maitland-Niles · Manager: Paulo Fonseca |
 Serbia
|
Serbian competitions · Serbian coaches · Serbian players · Serbian stadiums |
| Serbia – 2018 FIFA World Cup – Group stage |
|
1. Stojković
2. Rukavina
3. Tošić
4. Milivojević
5. Spajić
6. Ivanović
7. Živković
8. Prijović
9. Mitrović
10. Tadić
11. Kolarov (c)
12. Rajković
13. Veljković
14. Rodić
15. Milenković
16. Grujić
17. Kostić
18. Radonjić
19. Jović
20. Milinković-Savić
21. Matić
22. Ljajić
23. Dmitrović
Manager: |