The recent legal incident involving the footballer has reignited interest in his personal life.
Key Takeaways
- Matheus Nunes was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to his mother, Catia, and an absent father.
- The family, including his stepfather, moved to Portugal when Matheus was 13.
- It wasn’t until he was 19 that he started playing professionally.
Matheus Nunes, the Brazilian-Portuguese footballer who plays as a midfielder for Manchester City, is currently trending due to a recent incident in Madrid.
He reportedly aggressively confronted a 58-year-old man who had tried to sneak a picture of him secretly. Matheus then allegedly grabbed the man’s phone and refused to give it back, leading to him being arrested and taken to a local station.
According to Daily Mail, Matheus was released on bail and is expected to face charges and a trial.
However, this recent incident again shed the spotlight on the 26-year-old as he finds his place within Manchester City’s squad.
Many fans are curious to know more about Matheus Nunes, particularly his personal background and parents.
Matheus Nunes was arrested and then released in Madrid on 8th September.
— mcfc lads (@mcfc_lads) October 2, 2024
Nunes was accused of taking the phone from a 58 year-old man, who had tried to take a photo of him in a nightclub toilets. 🤦🏼♂️📸
[via El Mundo / Daily Star] pic.twitter.com/e22wQLfdUC
Matheus Nunes was born on August 27, 1998, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to his mother, Catia, and an absent father.
His father left the family before Matheus could remember, contributing to a difficult life in growing up poor in a Campo Grande favela.
Like any Brazilian kid at the time, he grew up idolizing Ronaldinho.
Recalling his bleak life in Brazil, Matheus would say,
Sometimes we didn’t have anything to eat… although my mother never stopped working. She is a warrior who instilled in me a love of football. With her I got my first touches. If we didn’t have the ball, my brother and I played with socks.”
The Sun
Matheus, his mother, and his stepfather moved to Portugal and settled in a seaside community when he was 13.
In Ericeira, Portugal, the family opened a bakery called “Pao da Vila,” where Matheus would work while trying to get into professional football.
Just over four years ago, Matheus Nunes was working in a bakery whilst playing for Sporting Lisbon's youth team – he's just signed for the treble winners.
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) September 1, 2023
What a journey 👏 pic.twitter.com/cd9i86prbn
He began his professional career at 19 when he joined the local side Ericeirense in the 6th division.
He made his senior debut for the club during the 2015–16 season in the Lisbon Football Association.
After a brief and uneventful stint at Grupo Desportivo Estoril Praia, Sporting CP signed Matheus in January 2019 on a five-and-a-half-year contract for a €500,000 fee for half of his economic rights and a €45 million buyout clause.
This was when his career slowly took shape into what he always dreamed of.
In 2022, Nunes signed a five-year deal with the English Premier League team Wolverhampton Wanderers, setting a club record with a transfer fee of €45 million.
Matheus began talks with Manchester City in August 2023. By September 2023, it was confirmed that he had signed a five-year deal with the reigning English champions for £53 million.
While Matheus Nunes is yet to secure a consistent spot in City’s squad, he has shown flashes of his potential.
Called “one of the best players in the world” by Pep Guardiola himself, the 26-year-old midfielder is certainly no slouch. But, even so, fans hope to see more of him in the upcoming games.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Matheu’s stepdad is from Sunderland. He helped him learn English as a child and develop his love for the Premier League.
- He only played eight games for Estoril before being signed by Portuguese giants Sporting CP.
- On his 23rd birthday in August 2021, a representative of his home country, Brazil, called him, hoping to persuade him to play for them; however, Matheus opted to play for Portugal instead.
