Nemanja Matić

Nemanja Matić is a Serbian midfielder born in Šabac on 1 August 1988. He developed through Obrenovac 1905, Red Star Belgrade and Partizan before making his senior debut for Kolubara and moving to MFK Košice in 2007. Chelsea signed Matić in 2009, and after a loan at Vitesse, he joined Benfica in the deal involving David Luiz. In Lisbon, he converted from an attacking role into a deep-lying No. 6, won the 2012–13 Primeira Liga Player of the Year award, and earned a return to Chelsea in January 2014. Matić helped Chelsea win the Premier League in 2014–15 and 2016–17, using his size, positioning and measured distribution to protect the defence. He moved to Manchester United in 2017, then reunited with José Mourinho at AS Roma in 2022 before spells with Rennes and Lyon. Matić later continued his career with Sassuolo while also representing Serbia internationally.