Nemanja Matić

Nemanja Matić
Matić playing for Serbia at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Personal information
Full name Nemanja Matić
Date of birth (1988-08-01) 1 August 1988
Place of birth Šabac, SR Serbia, Yugoslavia
Height 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
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)
2010–2011Vitesse (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 44 (0)
International career
2008–2010 Serbia U21 11 (2)
2008–2019 Serbia 48 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:21, 17 May 2025 (UTC)

Nemanja Matić (Serbian Cyrillic: Немања Матић, pronounced [němaɲa mǎːtitɕ]; born 1 August 1988) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Ligue 1 club Lyon.

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 the club, 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 an integral part of a Chelsea team that won two Premier League titles. 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. He played with Manchester United until 2022 when he again was reunited with Mourinho at Roma. After one season with Roma, he joined Rennes in 2023.

Matić represented his nation Serbia at under-21 level. He made his senior international debut in 2008 and scored more than once in 48 appearances. He was part of Serbia's squad at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.