Matija Sarkic

Early career and Aston Villa

Sarkic left the youth academy of Belgian club Anderlecht, signing a three-year contract with English club Aston Villa on 1 September 2015, joining their under-21 side. He was the goalkeeper for Villa's under-21 team who reached the Premier League 2 Division Two play-off final in the 2015–16 season. In April 2017, he was named on the bench for a league match against Reading as cover for Sam Johnstone following an injury to Mark Bunn. Šarkić joined Wigan Athletic on 31 August 2017 on a season-long loan, going on to make 3 appearances, all in cup competitions, and saving a penalty on his debut against Middlesbrough U21 in the EFL Trophy. In December 2018, he joined Stratford Town on a youth loan. On 26 June 2019, Sarkic signed for Scottish Premiership club Livingston on what was intended to be a season-long loan, but he was recalled by Aston Villa on 3 January 2020, as their first-choice goalkeeper Tom Heaton had suffered a knee injury. Sarkic was offered a contract extension at Aston Villa in 2020 but turned down the offer to look for first-team opportunities elsewhere, having seen experienced goalkeeper Pepe Reina brought in as cover for the injured Heaton. Sarkic was formally released by Aston Villa at the end of the 2019–20 season.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Sarkic signed for Villa's Premier League rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers on 27 July 2020 on a three-year contract.

Shrewsbury Town (loan)

On 2 September 2020,…

Sarkic represented Montenegro U17 at the 2013 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. He won the bronze medal at the 2017 Valeri Lobanovsky Memorial Tournament. On 19 November 2019, he made his debut for the Montenegrin senior team under coach Faruk Hadžibegić in a 2–0 friendly win against Belarus. Sarkic made his first competitive appearance for his country in a 2022 World Cup qualifier away to the Netherlands, who won 4–0. On 5 June 2024, Sarkic played his final game, starting in a 2–0 friendly defeat to Belgium; on the occasion, he was named man of the match for his performance, which included nine saves.

Club

International

Sarkic was born in England, in Grimsby, Lincolnshire. His father, Bojan Šarkić, is a Montenegrin diplomat who, as of October 2017, was the country's ambassador to the European Union. He previously served as ambassador to the United Kingdom and to Belgium. His mother, Natalie Šarkić-Todd, is British and works at a European media network. Matija had a twin brother, Oliver, with whom he played during his spell at Anderlecht.