Matthijs de Ligt
Matthijs de Ligt (Dutch
pronunciation: [mɑˈtɛis də ˈlɪxt]; born 12 August 1999) is
a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a defender for Serie A club Juventus and the Netherlands national team.
On 21 September 2016, De Ligt made his
debut for Ajax's senior team in a cup
game against Willem II. He scored from a corner
after 25 minutes, making him the second-youngest goalscorer ever behind Clarence Seedorf. On 24 May, he
became the youngest player ever (17 years and 285 days old) to play in a major
European final when he started against Manchester United in the 2017 UEFA Europa League Final. On 17 December
2018, De Light won the Golden Boy award, becoming the first defender to
win the award. The following
season, he helped Ajax capture a domestic double and reach the semi-finals of
the Champions League; his performances earned him a move to Serie A side Juventus and saw him win
the Kopa Trophy in 2019.
In 2017, De Ligt made his debut for The Netherlands at the age of 17, making him the youngest player to start for the
national team since 1931.
Club career
Ajax
De Ligt joined the Ajax youth academy when
he was 9 years old from his local club in Abcoude, just outside of Amsterdam. At first, the coaches at
the youth academy thought he was too slow and out of shape, but he was given a
chance to develop in the academy and went on to prove his quality.
2016–17:
Jong Ajax and development
He made his debut for Jong Ajax on 8 August
2016 in an Eerste Divisie game
against FC
Emmen,
playing the full game. During the season,
De Ligt played in 17 matches for Jong Ajax.
On 21 September, De Ligt made his debut for
Ajax's senior team in a cup game against Willem II. He scored from a corner
after 25 minutes, making him the second-youngest goalscorer ever behind Clarence Seedorf; Ajax won the game 5–0. On 24 October, Ajax
announced through Twitter that De Ligt had
been promoted to the senior squad.
De Ligt quickly established himself in the
first team after being promoted and went on to play in 11 league matches and
nine in the Europa League. On 24 May, he
became the youngest player ever (17 years and 285 days old) to play in a major
European final when he started against Manchester United in the 2017 UEFA Europa League Final.
2017–19:
Breakthrough and captaincy
After the sale of Davinson Sánchez to Tottenham Hotspur in
August 2017, De Ligt became a first-team starter. 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). Due to De Ligt's
performances for Ajax, he was linked with many of Europe's top clubs.
On 17 December 2018, De Ligt won the Golden Boy award, becoming the first defender to
win the award. On 13 February
2019, De Ligt became the youngest ever captain in a Champions League knockout game at 19
years and 186 days old, in a game against Real Madrid. On 27 February
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 16 April 2019, De Ligt scored the
winning goal in the Champions League quarter-final against Juventus to send Ajax on to
the semi-finals of the competition for the first time since the 1996–97 edition of the
tournament. His goal also saw
he becomes 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
De Ligt blocking a shot
against Lokomotiv Moscow during
the 2019–20 season
On 18 July 2019, De Ligt signed for Serie A champions Juventus on a five-year the contract for a fee of €75 million, to be paid in five annual instalments,
with additional costs of €10.5 million. He made his
official debut for the club in a 4–3 home win over Napoli in Serie A on 31
August. On 3 November, he
scored his first for the club in a 1–0 away win over cross-city rivals Torino in the Derby Della Mole.
International career
On 25 March 2017, De Ligt made his debut
for the Dutch national team in a 2–0 away
defeat to Bulgaria in a 2018 FIFA World Cup
qualification match.
National team coach, Danny Blind, called De Light up for
the national team despite having only started two league games for Ajax. At the
age of 17, he became the youngest player to start for the national team since
1931.
During the UEFA Nations League, De Light started and
played 90 minutes in all four group matches against Germany and France as the Netherlands
won the group and qualified for the inaugural Nations League Finals. In the semi-finals
on 5 June, he scored a header against England as his team secured
a spot in the final, where The Netherlands would be defeated 0–1 by Portugal.
Style of play
De Ligt is among the most highly regarded
young prospects in European football as shown by him winning the Golden Boy award, which is awarded to the most
impressive young footballer in European football.
He is known for his clean tackling, height,
strength, speed and accurate passes. His height allows him to be a major threat
from set-pieces, whilst his strength means that he is unlikely to be pushed off
the ball, particularly in aerial duels. His playing style
is often compared to FC Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué.
Former Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher praised De Ligt for
his "physical attributes" and "leadership qualities".
Furthermore, Carragher went on to say he plays "like he's 24 or 25"
indicating maturity and strength.
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