Matthijs de Ligt
Contract Until: Jun 30, 2029
Profile
Nationality
Netherlands
Jersey Number
4
Position
Defender
Preferred Foot
right
Debut
Aug 8, 2014
Place of Birth
Leiderdorp
Date of Birth
Aug 12, 1999
Age
26
Weight
89 Kg
Height
189 cm
Career Summary
Form Index
| Season | League | Average Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 2020/2021 | Serie A | 7.21 |
| 2021/2022 | Serie A | 7.22 |
| 2022/2023 | Bundesliga | 7.22 |
| 2023/2024 | Bundesliga | 7.02 |
| 2024/2025 | Premier League | 6.96 |
| 2025/2026 | Premier League | 7.49 |
Overall Average: 7.19
Total Seasons: 6
Player Traits
| Trait | Value |
|---|---|
| Defending | 60 |
| Game Reading | 68 |
| Ball Progression | 74 |
| Composure | 85 |
| Attacking | 24 |
| Workrate | 80 |
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Appearance
2
Minutes Played
180
Assists
-- --
Rating
7.49
Goals
-- --
Started
2
Yellow Card
-- --
Red Card
-- --
Career
Clubs
National Team
Matches
Goals
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Matthijs de Ligt is a Dutch professional footballer who plays for English Premier League club Manchester United and represents the Dutch National Team at the International level. He plays a defender mainly as a centre-back. He was once hailed as one of the best young talents in Europe at Ajax Amsterdam. He became the club's youngest captain, leading his side at the age of 19. In the 2018-19 season, heroics saw him win the Golden Boy award in 2018 after dropping outstanding performances.
He showcased bravery, aggression and leadership qualities as a teenager at 18. He captained a promising Ajax squad that won the Eredivisie, Dutch Cup and reached the UEFA Champions League semi-final under the management of Erik Ten Hag. De Ligt then moved to Juventus, Bayern Munich, and is now settling down at Old Trafford as a Red Devil, having joined them last summer De Ligt has been a childhood prodigy, playing football at the highest level from a very young age, and has represented some of the best, iconic clubs in his career already at 25 years old. The sky is the limit for him, as his potential suggests a bright future ahead. In this overview, we are going to explore Matthijs de Ligt club, early life, family, net worth, partner, awards and achievements, etc.
Matthijs de Ligt was initially noticed by the scouts of Ajax during his childhood when he was playing at his local clubs. After getting into their academy, de Ligt performed consistently at the youth level of the academy of Ajax Amsterdam. The centre back eventually made his debut for Ajax’s senior team in a cup game against Willem II in September 2016. A year later, his rise was incredible, as he became the youngest player ever to play in a major European final when he started against his current team, Manchester United, UEFA Europa League Final in 2017.
De Ligt got the attention of the whole world during the incredible run of Ajax in the 2018/19 season of the UEFA Champions League. At just 19, he was one of the captains at Ajax, and he pocketed bigger-name players as if he were a seasoned veteran. He scored the winning goal in the Champions League quarter-final against Juventus to send Ajax on to the semi-finals. He captained an Ajax team full of future superstars such as Frenkie de Jong, Hakim Ziyech, Andre Onana, Noussair Mazraoui and Dusan Tadic, etc.
These performances secured him the Golden Boy award in 2018 and a move to Juventus in 2019 for a whopping £67 million move to Turin. While he continued to play passionately like he did before, his tenure at Juventus was mixed, with critics slamming him for being error-prone. His development stalled because of Juventus’ mismanagement and instability. Fed up with the chaos at Juventus, in July 2022, De Ligt signed for the Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich on a five-year contract for a reported initial fee that potentially rose to £42 million in add-ons.
While he was favoured heavily by Julian Nagelsmann, his successor, Thomas Tuchel, preferred Min-Jae Kim and Dayot Upamecano. This resulted in Matthijs de Ligt staying on the bench regularly, with which he was unsatisfied. In the 2024 summer transfer window, De Ligt attracted substantial interest from several top European clubs, and he decided to join the Red Devils. He performed fairly well so far, and with the new Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim, at the helm, he can finally hit the potential that he is capable of.
| Playing Position | Centre-back |
|---|---|
| Weekly Salary | £195,000 (at Bayern Munich, base) |
| Net Worth | Estimated £60 million |
| Parents | Frank de Ligt and Vivian de Ligt |
| Girlfriend | Annekee Molitor |
| Endorsements | Adidas |
Matthijs de Ligt was born in Leiderdorp in a small town just outside of Leiden in the Netherlands, to his parents, mother Vivian and father Frank de Ligt. He grew up in Abcoude, and later, the Matthijs de Ligt family moved to Amsterdam during his childhood, thereby causing a deep sense of connection with Ajax Amsterdam. He comes from a sports-loving household; his father was a tennis player, and his mother was a gymnast. He has two siblings who are twins, Fleur and Wouter, and the defender is the eldest of them, being the firstborn child.
Matthijs was a tennis prodigy in his childhood and was expected to continue in it. However, he faced some hardships, which resulted in branching out to other sports. Matthijs developed a love for Ajax after watching the games regularly with his family. He decided to play football at his local clubs, honing his skills and developing his game. At an early age, he began displaying his talent in the Ajax academy after joining them at the age of 9. From where he made further progress and rose to fame at 18, and was given the captainship armband as a teenager, where he made history in the 2018-19 campaign.
The Netherlands' star centre back has played for major European clubs in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and now in England and managed to earn substantial money through salary and contracts. Currently, the 25-year-old is one of the highest-paid players in the Manchester United team. Matthijs de Ligt net worth is reported to be more than £60 million; besides wages, he has signed several endorsement deals as a player. He is a Nike athlete after signing a deal with the American sportswear giant. He is already a well-known and established name in the world of football at 25.
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Matthijs de Ligt salary is notably quite high at Old Trafford; the Dutch International ranks amongst the top earners only behind the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro. He walks out with a weekly payout of £ 195,000 per week, which amounts to a significant £10 million figure annually. He signed for the English giants in 2024, agreeing on a long-term five-year deal with an option to extend. His current deal with the club runs out in the summer of 2029.
| Season | Salary Per Week | Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | £195,000 | £10,140,000 |
| 2025-26 | £195,000 | £10,140,000 |
| 2026-27 | £195,000 | £10,140,000 |
| 2027-28 | £195,000 | £10,140,000 |
| 2028-29 | £195,000 | £10,140,000 |
Matthijs de Ligt is a towering centre-back who is known for reliability and solidity in the back. He is a ball-playing defender – and is comfortable with the ball at his feet, keeps the possession, likes to receive the ball and play line-breaking passes to start an attack, from the back. He developed leadership skills at a young age and brings his commanding presence to the defence. His agility, tactical intelligence, and aerial dominance are impressive. De Ligt is an aggressive defender who uses his physicality to stop the opposition. Despite being a centre-back, he is insanely quick and boasts tremendous acceleration. Even at 25, he has more experience than many of the players of his age and credibility as a player.
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Matthijs de Ligt partner is Annekee Molenaar. The player married his long-term girlfriend in 2024. She was quite supportive of the Dutch star and even accompanied him to his Manchester United presentation. Annekee is a model and fashionista who has become an influencer because of her online presence. The couple began dating as teenagers in 2018 in Amsterdam. De Ligt was coming through the ranks at Ajax at the time, while AnneKee was an aspiring model. Unfortunately, the loving couple marriage came to an end early in 2025. The duo parted their ways officially due to lifestyle incompatibility, as per several reports.
Matthijs De Ligt is one of the best modern-day centre-backs. Following an early stardom, he has proven his skills at the highest level. The former Ajax starboy has won major titles in every country he has played in so far, be it the Netherlands, Italy and Germany. Matthijs de Ligt trophy collection includes, Dutch league, the Dutch Cup with Ajax, and with Juventus, he claimed the Serie A, the Italian Cup and the Italian Super Cup. With the Bavarians during his spell in Munich, he went on to lift the Bundesliga and German Cup respectively.
The two-time Dutch footballer of the year made his debut for the Netherlands national team in March 2017 against Bulgaria in a 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier outing. Since then has been a consistent member of the national team, representing the nation in UEFA Euros 2020, FIFA World Cup 2022, and UEFA Euros 2024. In the 2022 Nations League, De Ligt captained the national team for the first time against Wales.
| Year | Award Won |
|---|---|
| 2015 | AEGON Future Cup Best Player (U17) |
| 2015 | Copa Amsterdam Best Player (U19) |
| 2016 | Ajax Talent of the Future |
| 2017 | Amsterdam Talent of the Year |
| 2018 | Johan Cruijff Prize |
| 2018 | Golden Boy Award |
| 2019 | Dutch Footballer of the Year (Gouden Schoen) |
| 2019 | Kopa Trophy (Best U21 Player, Ballon d'Or) |
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