Nemanja Matić

Early career

Matić was born in Šabac, SR Serbia. He began playing football at age five with FK Vrelo from the eponymous village, coached by his own father. He began his senior career at Kolubara before signing for Slovak club Košice in 2007. While living in the country, he also received Slovak citizenship.

Chelsea

On 18 August 2009, Matić signed for Chelsea from Košice for a fee of around £1.5 million on a four-year contract, having been on trial at Middlesbrough. He was given the number 24 shirt by Chelsea but could not debut immediately due to the injury he picked up at the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship. 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 victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers. On 23 August 2010, Matić transferred to Eredivisie club Vitesse on a one-year loan, together with teammates Slobodan Rajković and Matej Delač.

Benfica

On 31 January 2011, Matić agreed to join Portuguese club Benfica next summer as part of a transfer for Chelsea to sign Brazilian centre-back David Luiz. Under Benfica manager Jorge Jesus, Matić was converted from a playmaker into a defensive midfielder. On 14 April 2012, Matić started for Benfica in the 2012 Taça da Liga Final against Gil Vicente, where he…

Youth and senior debut

In August 2008, while playing for MFK Košice in Slovak Corgoň Liga, Matić received Slovak citizenship. Initially, he expressed an interest in playing for Slovakia at international level, refusing to play for his country of birth: "They can lure me into the A-team or the U21 [team], but I don't want to [play for Serbia] any more. I've already decided." However, on 11 October 2008, he debuted for the Serbia under-21 team in a match against Denmark. After three matches and two goals for the Serbia under-21 squad, he was called up to the senior team, debuting in a friendly match against Poland on 14 December 2008, in a 1–0 loss. Matić played in the Cyprus International Football Tournament in 2009 where Serbia made it to the final. 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.

Refusal to play and first senior goal

In December 2012, Matić announced he would not play for the Serbia national team while Siniša Mihajlović was the coach. The reason was that Matić 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 the senior team on a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification match against…

A left-footed defensive midfielder, Matić's poise and power, in addition to his in-game intelligence and tactical awareness, have enabled his attacking teammates to flourish. He is often used at a holding position and screens the defence while providing cover for attacking movements. Just before he joined Manchester United, he had a tackle success rate of 75% in 123 Premier League appearances, a higher rate than N'Golo Kante, Ander Herrera, Fernandinho and Jordan Henderson. José Mourinho commented on Matić, "At this moment, he is a giant, not for his size but for the way he plays." Matić's qualities have led to comparison to his ex-teammate at Manchester United, Michael Carrick. Prior to joining Benfica, he played as an attacking midfielder, before being shifted to a holding midfield role.

Matić's maternal grandfather is from Volkovija, North Macedonia. His younger brother, Uroš, is a former professional footballer, currently coaching Jedinstvo Ub in Serbia. He has three children with his wife, Aleksandra. Matić has admired former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane from an early age. In November 2018, Matić refused to wear a remembrance poppy on his shirt for a match against Bournemouth. After the match, he was castigated and got threats by a number of people via social networks for not respecting servicemen who have died in war. He stated that he will not wear a poppy because his village of Vrelo was hit by the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999. On 17 May 2025, the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, Matić played in Lyon's match against Angers with an anti-homophobia logo on his shirt appearing to be covered.