Matthijs de Ligt

In this Dutch name, the surname is de Ligt, not Ligt.
Matthijs de Ligt
De Ligt with Bayern Munich in 2022
Personal information
Full name Matthijs de Ligt[1]
Date of birth (1999-08-12) 12 August 1999 (age 25)[2]
Place of birth Leiderdorp, Netherlands
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[3]
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 Manchester United
Number 4
Youth career
Abcoude
0000–2016 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 9 (1)
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 48 (2)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Netherlands
UEFA Nations League
Runner-up 2019 Portugal
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:00, 27 October 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:56, 11 October 2024 (UTC)

Matthijs de Ligt (born 12 August 1999) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Premier League club Manchester United and the Netherlands national team. He is known for his strength, leadership, aggressiveness and tackling.[4][5][6]

De Ligt made his debut for Ajax's senior team in September 2016 in a cup game against Willem II. He scored from a corner after 25 minutes, making him the club's second-youngest goalscorer ever behind Clarence Seedorf.[7] On 24 May 2017, De Ligt became the youngest ever player (aged 17 years and 285 days) to appear in a considerable European final when he started against Manchester United in the Europa League final.[8] In December 2018, he won the Golden Boy award given to the year's best footballer in Europe under the age of 21, becoming the first defender to do so.[9] The following season, De Ligt helped Ajax capture a domestic double and reach the semi-finals of the Champions League.

De Ligt's performances earned him a move to Serie A club Juventus in 2019, shortly before being awarded the Kopa Trophy for world's best under-21 player of the year. He would go on to help the Turin side retain the league title in his first season and reclaim the Italian Cup in his second. After three years in Italy, De Ligt would then join Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich in 2022, again capturing a league title in his commencement campaign.

In 2017, De Ligt made his debut for the Netherlands at the age of 17, making him the youngest player to start for the national team since 1931.[10] He featured for the side at UEFA Euro 2020 and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

  1. ^ "2024/25 Premier League squad lists". Premier League. 13 September 2024. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  2. ^ "Squad List: FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: Netherlands (NED)" (PDF). FIFA. 18 December 2022. p. 20. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  3. ^ "Matthijs de Ligt: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  4. ^ "Matthijs de Ligt: The Emergence of Bayern Munich's New Defensive Rock". Breaking The Lines. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  5. ^ "New stat reveals why De Ligt might be the best defender in Serie A". Juvefc.com. 8 March 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  6. ^ Jones, Matt. "Leonardo Bonucci: Matthijs de Ligt 'Will Become the Best Defender in the World'". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).