Matt Grimes

As of match played 5 September 2026

Exeter City

Born in Exeter, Devon, Grimes came through his hometown club Exeter City's academy and was given a professional contract by the club in April 2013. He made his League Two debut on 17 August 2013 in a 2–0 victory over AFC Wimbledon at St James Park. In February 2014, Exeter City manager Paul Tisdale described Grimes as the best young player he had seen in his 8 years at the club praising his technical ability and reading of the game. On 18 April, away at Chesterfield's Proact Stadium, he scored his first professional goal for relegation-threatened Exeter, a deflected free kick in the 18th minute to open a 1–1 draw against the highly ranked opponents. Grimes won Exeter's player of the season award at the end of the 2013–14 season and that summer committed his immediate future to the club despite reported interest from various Premier League sides. Despite leaving the division halfway through the season when he signed for Swansea, Grimes was chosen in League Two's PFA Team of the Year for the 2014–15 season.

Swansea City

On 2 January 2015, Grimes signed for Premier League side Swansea City with Exeter City receiving an undisclosed club record fee, believed to be in the region of £1.75 million. He completed 90 minutes for the Swansea under-21 side in a 2–1 win against Queens Park Rangers on 27 January. On 1 February, Grimes was called up a Swansea matchday squad for the first time, remaining an unused substitute as they won 1–0 away to Southampton.…

On 28 August 2014, Grimes received his first call-up to the England national under-20 team for the friendly match against Romania. In March 2015, Grimes came off the bench to captain the Under 20s in a win against Mexico. He also scored a penalty in the eventual shoot-out following a 1–1 draw. 4 days later, he started as captain at Home Park in 2–1 win over the United States, wearing the number 7 shirt. In February 2025, the Football Association of Wales expressed an interest in selecting Grimes for international duty if eligibility rules changed to allow it. Under the home nations agreement, Grimes is currently ineligible to represent Wales as he was not born in the territory, has no parents or grandparents born in the territory, and did not have at least 5 years of education before the age of 18 in the territory. Under the FAW's proposals, a player would become eligible to represent a home nation if he is registered as a player for at least 5 years with a club within the relevant territory. The proposal would need the support of The Football Association, Scottish Football Association and Irish Football Association to pass.

As a 15-year-old he was part of St Peter's AirBadgers Ultimate Frisbee team that won the Junior National Championships for the third year in a row in 2011. He was voted the most valuable player as AirBadgers beat Brighton in the final 13–1. Matt has a younger brother - Nick, who is a semi-professional footballer, playing as a defender. Nick Grimes is currently the captain for Southern Football League side Taunton Town.