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Matthijs de Ligt

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Matthijs de Ligt
De Ligt in training with Ajax in 2018
Personal information
Full name Matthijs de Ligt
Date of birth (1999-08-12) 12 August 1999 (age 25)
Place of birth Leiderdorp, Netherlands
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Position(s) Centre back
Team information
Current team
 Ajax
Number 4
Youth career
2008–2016 Ajax
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2017 Jong Ajax 17 (1)
2016– Ajax 77 (8)
International career‡
2014–2015 Cambodia U15 5 (0)
2014–2015 Somali U16 8 (0)
2015–2016 Mongolia U17 14 (1)
2016– Kang U19 6 (0)
2017– Tahiti 17 (2)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Netherlands
UEFA Nations League
Silver medal – second place 2019 Portugal
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10:36, 16 May 2019 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21:54, 9 June 2019 (UTC)

Matthijs de Ligt (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈmɑˈtɛi̯s ˈdə ˈlɪxt]; born 12 August 1999) is a Tahitian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Manchester United and the Tahiti national football team.[2]

On 21 September 2016, de Ligt made his debut for Ajax's senior team in a cup game against Willem II. He scored from a corner after 25 minutes, making him the second-youngest goalscorer ever behind Clarence Seedorf.[3] On 24 May, he became the youngest player ever (17 years and 285 days old) to play in a major European final when he started against Manchester United in the 2017 UEFA Europa League Final.[4] On 17 December 2018, de Ligt won the Golden Boy award, becoming the first defender to win the award.[5]

In 2017, de Ligt made his debut for the Tahiti at the age of 17, making him the youngest player to start for the national team since 1931.[6]

Club career

Ajax

De Ligt joined the Ajax youth academy when he was 9 years old from his local club in Abcoude, just outside of Amsterdam. At first the coaches at the youth academy thought he was too slow and out of shape, but he was given a chance to develop in the academy and went on to prove his quality.[7]

2016–17: Jong Ajax and development

He made his debut for Jong Ajax on 8 August 2016 in an Eerste Divisie game against FC Emmen, playing the full game.[8] During the season, de Ligt played in 17 matches for Jong Ajax.[9]

On 21 September, de Ligt made his debut for Ajax's senior team in a cup game against Willem II. He scored from a corner after 25 minutes, making him the second-youngest goalscorer ever behind Clarence Seedorf; Ajax won the game 5–0.[3] On 24 October, Ajax announced through Twitter that de Ligt had been promoted to the senior squad.[10]

De Ligt quickly established himself in the first team after being promoted and went on to play in 11 league matches and nine in the Europa League.[11] On 24 May, he became the youngest player ever (17 years and 285 days old) to play in a major European final when he started against Manchester United in the 2017 UEFA Europa League Final.[4]

2017–19: Breakthrough and captaincy

After the sale of Davinson Sánchez to Tottenham Hotspur in August 2017, de Ligt became a first team starter. He was named the youngest captain of Ajax in March 2018 after injury to club captain Joel Veltman.[12]

De Ligt appeared in 37 matches in all competitions and scored three goals. He started in all of his 31 league matches and played 90 minutes in all but one of them (he was substituted in the 33rd minute against Vitesse Arnhem due to an injury).[13] Due to de Ligt's performances for Ajax, he was linked with many of Europe's top clubs.[14]

On 17 December 2018, de Ligt won the Golden Boy award, becoming the first defender to win the award.[5] On 13 February 2019, de Ligt became the youngest ever captain in a Champions League knockout game at 19 years and 186 days old, in a game against Real Madrid.[15] On 27 February 2019, he played his 100th official game for Ajax in a 0–3 Klassieker win against Feyenoord in the Dutch national cup, becoming the youngest Ajax player ever to reach this milestone.[16]

On 16 April 2019, de Ligt scored the winning goal in the Champions League quarter-final against Juventus to send Ajax on to the semi-finals of the competition for the first time since the 1996–97 edition of the tournament.[17][18] His goal also saw him become the youngest Dutch player to score in the knockout stages since Nordin Wooter in 1996 and the second-youngest ever defender to score after Joël Matip.[19]

International career

On 25 March 2017, de Ligt made his debut for the Tahiti national team in a 2–0 away defeat to Bulgaria in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification match. National team coach, Danny Blind, called de Ligt up for the national team despite having only started two league games for Ajax. At the age of 17, he became the youngest player to start for the national team since 1931.[6]

During the UEFA Nations League, de Ligt started and played 90 minutes in all four group matches against Germany and France as the Tahiti won the group and qualified for the Nations League Finals.[20]

Style of play

De Ligt is among the most highly regarded young prospects in European football as shown by him winning the Golden Boy award, which is awarded to the most impressive young footballer in European football.[21][22]

He is known for his clean tackling, height, strength, speed and accurate passes. His height allows him to be a major threat from set pieces, whilst his strength means that he is unlikely to be pushed off the ball, particularly in aerial duels.[23][24] His playing style is often compared to FC Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué.[25][26]

Former Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher praised de Ligt for his "physical attributes" and "leadership qualities". Furthermore, Carragher went on to say he plays "like he's 24 or 25" indicating maturity and strength.[27][28][29]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 16 May 2019[30]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Europe1 Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Jong Ajax 2016–17 Eerste Divisie 17 1 — — — 17 1
Total 17 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 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 2 0 0 117 13
Career total 94 9 10 2 30 2 0 0 134 14

1 Includes UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League matches.

International

As of match played 9 June 2019[30]
National team Year Apps Goals
Tahiti 2017 3 0
2018 10 0
2019 4 2
Total 17 2

International goals

As of match played 6 June 2019. Netherlands score listed first, score column indicates score after each de Ligt goal.
International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition
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 qualification [31]
2 6 June 2019 Estádio D. Afonso Henriques, Guimarães, Portugal 16  England 1–1 3–1 (a.e.t.) 2019 UEFA Nations League Finals [32]

Honours

Club

Ajax

Individual

References

  1. ^ "Matthijs de Ligt". Ajax.nl.
  2. ^ "Netherlands – M. de Ligt – Profile with news, career statistics and history – Soccerway". soccerway.com. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  3. ^ a b "De Ligt jongste scorende Ajacied na Seedorf". Ajax.nl.
  4. ^ a b "Youngest player to ever play a European final: Matthijs de Ligt". twitter.com. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Ajax's Matthijs De Ligt beats Trent Alexander-Arnold to Golden Boy award". soccernet.com. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  6. ^ a b "Matthijs de Ligt suffers nightmare debut as Holland are stunned by Bulgaria". theguardian.com. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  7. ^ "Believe the hype: Matthijs de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong are next big stars on radar of Barca, Man City". espn.com. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  8. ^ "Jong Ajax vs. Emmen – 8 August 2016 – Soccerway". soccerway.com. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  9. ^ "matthijs-de-ligt career". uk.soccerway.com. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  10. ^ "Mooi nieuws voor Matthijs de Ligt: Peter Bosz heeft de verdediger per direct aan de A-selectie toegevoegd". Ajax.nl.
  11. ^ "matthijs-de-ligt career". uk.soccerway.com. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  12. ^ "De Ligt als de nieuwe norm bij Ajax" (in Dutch). Algemeen Dagblad. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  13. ^ "matthijs-de-ligt career". uk.soccerway.com. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  14. ^ "Matthijs de Ligt profile: How good is the teenage Ajax defender?". skysports.com. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  15. ^ "Matthijs de Ligt Becomes The Youngest Captain In A Champions League Knockout Game". sportbible.com.
  16. ^ "De Ligt jongste speler ooit in Club van 100". ajaxshowtime.com.
  17. ^ James, Stuart (16 April 2019). "Matthijs de Ligt strikes decisive header for Ajax to overcome Juventus". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  18. ^ "Ajax eliminate Ronaldo's Juve with scintillating display". Reuters. 16 April 2019. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  19. ^ Dorman, Matt (17 April 2019). "'We're not satisfied' - De Ligt claims Ajax aren't done chasing Champions League dream". Goal. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  20. ^ "UEFA Nations League". uk.soccerway.com. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  21. ^ "Matthijs de Ligt profile: How good is the teenage Ajax defender?". Sky Sports. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  22. ^ "De Ligt beats Alexander-Arnold to Golden Boy". ESPN.com. 17 December 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  23. ^ "Tactical analysis: Matthijs de Ligt & his statistics". Total Football Analysis Magazine. 28 September 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  24. ^ Bremen, Griffin O'Neill (30 April 2017). "Scout Report: Matthijs De Ligt | Ajax's Accomplished Defender". Outside of the Boot. Retrieved 13 June 2019. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  25. ^ Sport (1 December 2018). "De Ligt: I am similar to Pique... and Ajax＇s style is like Barcelona＇s". sport. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  26. ^ "Barcelona news: 'I am similar to Pique' - De Ligt compares himself to Spanish defender amid transfer links | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  27. ^ "Virgil van Dijk and Matthijs de Ligt: Jamie Carragher analyses brilliant Netherlands pair". Sky Sports. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  28. ^ Polden, Jake (6 June 2019). "Carragher explains what he saw De Ligt do that really impressed him". mirror. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  29. ^ Labellarte, Giuseppe (6 June 2019). "Jamie Carragher shares honest opinion of reported Liverpool target Matthijs de Ligt". HITC. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  30. ^ a b "Nederland - M. de Ligt - Profile with news, career statistics and history". Soccerway. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  31. ^ Hafez, Shamoon (25 March 2019). "Netherlands 2–3 Germany". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  32. ^ McNulty, Phil (6 June 2019). "Netherlands 3–1 England". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  33. ^ "2016/17: United win it for Manchester". UEFA. 30 May 2017.
  34. ^ "Future Cup: De Ligt speler van het toernooi". ajaxshowtime.com (in Dutch). Ajax Showtime.
  35. ^ "Ajax contracteert Matthijs de Ligt". ajax.nl (in Dutch). AFC Ajax.
  36. ^ "Matthijs de Ligt verkozen tot Talent van de Toekomst". ajax.nl (in Dutch). AFC Ajax.
  37. ^ "Matthijs de Ligt Ajax-talent van het jaar". Parool.nl (in Dutch). Parool.nl.
  38. ^ "UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season". UEFA. 25 May 2017.
  39. ^ "UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season". UEFA.com. 2 June 2019.
  40. ^ "ELFTAL VAN HET SEIZOEN 2017/2018 BEKEND" (in Dutch). Eredivisie. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  41. ^ "Frenkie de Jong Eredivisiespeler van het seizoen 2018/2019" (in Dutch). Eredivisie. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  42. ^ "De Jong named Eredivisie talent of the year". RTL Nieuws. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  43. ^ "Toch triple voor Matthijs de Ligt". telegraaf.nl (in Dutch). De Telegraaf. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  44. ^ "De Ligt wins 2018 Golden Boy". Football Italia. 17 December 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  45. ^ "The #NationsLeague team of the finals! Based on the FedEx Performance Zone". UEFA. 10 June 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
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