Matthijs de Ligt is a Dutch footballer who plays as a center-back for Juventus and the Netherlands national team. He made his professional debut with Ajax in 2016 and was named captain of the club at 19. He won the UEFA Champions League with Ajax in 2019 and was named the tournament’s Young Player of the Year. In July 2019, he transferred to Juventus for a fee of €75 million, making him the most expensive defender in history. De Ligt has represented the Netherlands at the youth level, winning the UEFA European Under-19 Championship in 2018. He made his senior debut in 2018 and was part of the Dutch team that reached the final of the inaugural UEFA Nations League in 2019. In addition, he won the Golden Boy award in 2019.
Family Of Matthijs de Ligt
The family of Matthijs de Ligt is from Leiderdorp in the Netherlands. Frank de Ligt, Matthijs’s father, is a former professional footballer who played for Ajax Amsterdam and the Dutch national team. Vivian de Ligt, Matthijs’s mother, is a homemaker. Matthijs’s grandfather, Cornelis de Ligt, was also a professional footballer who played for Ajax Amsterdam and the Dutch national team. De Ligt’s great-grandfather, Hendrikus de Ligt, was a chemist. Matthijs’s family is of Dutch descent.
Matthijs de Ligt | International Career
Matthijs de Ligt is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a defender for Serie A club Juventus and the Netherlands national team. De Ligt began his professional career with Ajax in 2016, making his debut in an Eredivisie match against Willem II. In 2018, he was named Ajax captain at 19, becoming the youngest player to hold the position. That same year, he won his first trophy, the KNVB Cup, and was named Ajax Player of the Year. In 2019, he helped Ajax reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League and was named UEFA Champions League Defender of the Season. On July 10, 2019, De Ligt joined Juventus for a fee of €75 million, making him the most expensive Dutch footballer ever.
De Ligt made his debut for the Dutch national team on March 25, 2017. He played in a match against Bulgaria that ended in a 2-0 loss. Blind, the national team coach, called De Ligt for the national team even though he had only started two league games for Ajax. At 17 years old, De Ligt became the youngest player to start for the Dutch national team in 1931. During the UEFA Nations League game against Germany, De Light captained the Netherlands for the first time.
Matthijs de Ligt | Club Career
Ajax
Matthijs de Ligt started his career at Ajax, joining the youth academy when he was nine years old. The coaches at the academy initially thought he was too slow and out of shape, but they gave him a chance to develop. He quickly proved his quality, becoming one of the most promising young defenders in Europe. In 2019, he won the prestigious UEFA Champions League with Ajax, cementing his reputation as one of the best young players in the world.
2016–17: Jong Ajax And Development
Matthijs de Ligt made his debut for Jong Ajax on 8 August 2016 in an Eerste Divisie game against FC Emmen, playing the full game. De Ligt played in 17 matches for Jong Ajax during the season. Matthijs de Ligt scored from a corner after 25 minutes, making him the second-youngest goalscorer ever behind Clarence Seedorf; Ajax won the game 5–0. On October 24, Ajax announced through Twitter that Ajax had promoted Matthijs de Ligt to the senior squad.
Matthijs de Ligt quickly established himself in the first team after being promoted and made 27 appearances in all competitions during the 2016–17 season. As a result, Matthijs de Light was nominated for the European Bronze Boot award, given to the continent’s third-best player, and was included in UEFA’s tournament team. In May 2018, Matthijs de Ligt was crowned Ajax Young Player.
2017–19: Breakthrough And Captaincy
Matthijs de Ligt first broke into the Ajax first team in 2016–17, but it was the following season that he made his mark. After the sale of Davinson Sánchez to Tottenham Hotspur in August 2017, De Light became a first-team starter. Furthermore, he was named the youngest captain of Ajax in March 2018 after an injury to club captain Joel Veltman. De Ligt appeared in 37 matches in all competitions and scored three goals. He started in all of his 31 league matches and played 90 minutes in all but one of them (he was substituted in the 33rd minute against Vitesse Arnhem due to an injury).
On December 17, 2018, De Ligt won the Golden Boy award, becoming the first Dutch player to win the accolade. In 2017–19, Matthijs de Ligt continued to play a key role for Ajax as they reached the semi-finals of the Champions League. He made 50 appearances in all competitions and scored seven goals, including a memorable last-minute winner against Bayern Munich in the group stage.
On February 27, 2019, he played his 100th official game for Ajax in a 0-3 Klassieker win against Feyenoord in the Dutch national cup, becoming the youngest Ajax player ever to reach this milestone. On April 16, 2019, De Light scored the winning goal in the Champions League quarter-final against Juventus to send Ajax on to the competition’s semi-finals for the first time since the 1996–97 edition of the tournament. His goal also saw him become the youngest Dutch player to score in the knockout stages since Nordin Wooter in 1996 and the second-youngest ever defender to score after Joël Matip.
Juventus
Matthijs de Light is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a center-back for the Italian club Juventus and the Netherlands national team. On July 18, 2019, De Ligt signed for Serie A champions Juventus on a five-year contract for a fee of €75 million, to be paid in five annual installments, with additional costs of €10.5 million. He made his official debut for the club in a 4–3 home win over Napoli on August 31. On November 3, he scored his first goal for the club in a 1-0 away win over cross-city rivals Torino in the Derby Della Mole.
Matthijs de Light has been widely praised for his leadership qualities and maturity and has been touted as one of the best young defenders in world football. In December 2019, he was named UEFA Men’s Player of the Year and one of three defenders on the Ballon d’Or shortlist. Matthijs de Ligt is certainly living up to the hype at Juventus and looks like he will be a key player for the club for many years to come.
Matthijs de Ligt | Accomplishments And Titles
Ajax
- Eredivisie: 2018–19
- KNVB Cup: 2018–19
- UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2016–17
Juventus
- Serie A: 2019–20
- Coppa Italia: 2020–21; runner-up: 2019–20, 2021–22
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2020; runner-up: 2019, 2021
Netherlands
- UEFA Nations League runner-up: 2019
Individual
- ABN AMRO Future Cup Best Player: 2015
- Copa Amsterdam Best Player: 2015
- Ajax Talent of the Future (Sjaak Swart Award): 2016
- UEFA European Under-17 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2016
- Ajax Talent of the Year (Marco van Basten Award): 2018
- UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season: 2016–17
- UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season: 2018–19
- Eredivisie Team of the Year: 2017–18, 2018–19
- Johan Cruyff Trophy: 2017–18
- Dutch Footballer of the Year: 2018–19
- Golden Boy: 2018
- FIFA FIFPro World11: 2019
- IFFHS Men’s World Team: 2019
- Kopa Trophy: 2019
- UEFA Team of the Year: 2019
Relationship Of Matthijs de Ligt
Matthijs de Ligt, a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a center-back for Juventus and the Netherlands national team, is in a relationship with Dutch model Annekee Molenaar. The two were first spotted together in 2019, and they have been photographed together on various occasions since then. In 2020, de Light confirmed that the two were in a relationship. De Ligt is one of the most promising young defenders in world football, and Molenaar is a successful model with experience in the fashion and beauty industries. Together, they make for a power couple that will turn heads wherever they go.
Matthijs de Ligt | Net Worth | Business & Endorsement
Matthijs de Light is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a center-back for Juventus and the Netherlands national team. His net worth is estimated to be around 9 million euros. He earns a salary of €4.5 million per year at Juventus and has various endorsement deals with companies like Adidas, Nike, and Coca-Cola. In 2020, he was ranked as the third-highest paid footballer under the age of 21, behind only Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.
Matthijs de Ligt | Social Media Presence
Matthijs de Ligt is active on various social media platforms, including Instagram and Twitter. He has over 2 million followers on Instagram and over 1 million followers on Twitter. Matthijs often posts photos and videos of himself with his girlfriend, Anneke Molenaar, and photos and videos of his Juventus teammates. He also uses his social media platform to promote various brands he endorses, such as Adidas and Nike.
Additional Informations
Сеlеbrаtеd Nаmе: | Matthijs De Ligt |
Rеаl Nаmе/Full Nаmе: | Matthijs De Ligt |
Gеndеr: | Male |
Аgе: | 22 |
Віrth Dаtе: | August 12, 1999 |
Віrth Рlасе: | Leiderdorp, Netherlands |
Nаtіоnаlіtу: | Dutch |
Неіght: | 1.89m |
Wеіght: | 89 Kg |
Ѕехuаl Оrіеntаtіоn: | Straight |
Маrіtаl Ѕtаtuѕ: | Unmarried |
Girlfriend (Nаmе): | Annekee Molenaar |
Рrоfеѕѕіоn: | Footballer |
Nеt Wоrth іn 2022: | €9 million |
Instagram: @mdeligt_
Twitter: @mdelight_04