Matheus Cunha
Cunha with RB Leipzig in 2018
Personal information
Full name Matheus Santos Carneiro da Cunha[1]
Date of birth (1999-05-27) 27 May 1999[2]
Place of birth João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)[2]
Position(s) Forward, second striker, winger
Team information
Current team
 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Number 12
Youth career
0000–2017 Coritiba
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–2018 Sion 29 (10)
2018–2020 RB Leipzig 35 (2)
2020–2021 Hertha BSC 39 (12)
2021–2023 Atlético Madrid 40 (6)
2023 → Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) 17 (2)
2023– Wolverhampton Wanderers 20 (6)
International career‡
2019–2021 Brazil U23 24 (21)
2021– Brazil 10 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Brazil
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place2020Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:50, 30 December 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14 October 2023

Matheus Santos Carneiro da Cunha (born 27 May 1999), commonly known as Matheus Cunha, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers and the Brazil national team. He has also been deployed as a second striker or winger.

Cunha played youth football in Brazil for Coritiba. At the age of 18, he moved to Europe to join Swiss club Sion. He then played for Bundesliga clubs RB Leipzig and Hertha BSC, before joining Atlético in August 2021.

Cunha won a gold medal with the Brazil under-23 team at the 2020 Summer Olympics. He made his senior international debut in September 2021.

Early life

Cunha was born in the city of João Pessoa, Brazil.[3] As a child he played futsal for a club in Recife, before switching to football.[4]

Club career

FC Sion

Cunha played youth football for Coritiba, before joining Swiss club Sion at the age of 18 in July 2017, after impressing scouts at the Dallas Cup youth tournament.[3] In May 2018, he scored a hat-trick in a 4–1 victory over FC Thun.[5]

RB Leipzig

On 24 June 2018, Cunha joined Bundesliga club RB Leipzig on a five-year-deal.[6] He scored his maiden Bundesliga goal against his future club Hertha BSC, to mark a 3–0 win in November 2018.[7] He scored a goal against Bayer Leverkusen in April 2019 that won the Bundesliga Goal of the Month award,[8] and was nominated for the FIFA Puskás Award.[4] He finished the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League season with 6 goals.

Hertha BSC

On 31 January 2020, Hertha BSC announced the signing of Cunha, the Brazilian arriving for a fee of €18 Million.[9]

Cunha with Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2023

Atlético Madrid

On 25 August 2021, he joined Atlético Madrid on a five-year contract for a fee of €30 Million.[10] He scored his first goal against Levante UD to seal a 2–2 draw.[11]

Wolverhampton Wanderers

On 1 January 2023, Cunha joined Wolverhampton Wanderers on loan for the remainder of the 2022–23 season,[12] in a deal which stipulated the move would become permanent in the summer of 2023, certain clauses in the loan agreement having been met.[13] Cunha's first appearance for Wolves was as a second-half substitute away to Aston Villa on 4 January 2023 in the Premier League, a game that finished as a 1–1 draw.[14]

Cunha's first goal for Wolves came in a 4–2 defeat at home to Leeds United in the Premier League on 18 March 2023, a game which saw Wolves finish with only 9 players on the pitch due to red cards.[15]

Cunha's first goal of the 2023–24 Premier League season for Wolves came in a 3–2 defeat away to Crystal Palace on 3 September 2023.[16] His first goal for the club in a game where Wolves ran out as winners, came in a 2–1 success away to Bournemouth in the Premier League on 21 October 2023.[17]

Cunha scored his first F.A. Cup goal, a penalty, in extra-time of a 3–2 Third Round replay victory over Brentford at Molineux on 16 January 2024.[18]

International career

Cunha with Brazil at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Under-23 team

With Brazil's under-23 team, Cunha was the top scorer of the 2019 Toulon Tournament and the 2020 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament, winning the former and finishing as runner-up in the latter, thus securing qualification to the Olympics for the Brazil team with the latter performance. On 17 June 2021, he was named in Brazil's squad for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.[19] In August 2021, he won a gold medal with Brazil at the Olympics, having scored 3 goals in 5 appearances at the tournament.[20] Overall, Cunha has scored 21 goals in 24 games for the under-23 team.[21]

Senior team

In September 2020, Cunha was called up to the senior Brazil squad for 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Bolivia and Peru on 9 and 13 October 2020, respectively.[22][23]

He made his debut for the senior national team on 2 September 2021, in a World Cup qualifier against Chile, a 1–0 away victory. He substituted Gabriel Barbosa in the 78th minute.[24]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 16 January 2024[25]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[lower-alpha 1] League cup[lower-alpha 2] Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Sion 2017–18 Swiss Super League 291010—2[lower-alpha 3]0—3210
RB Leipzig 2018–19 Bundesliga 25221—12[lower-alpha 3]6—399
2019–20 Bundesliga 10010—2[lower-alpha 4]0—130
Total 35231—146—529
Hertha BSC 2019–20 Bundesliga 11500———115
2020–21 Bundesliga 27711———288
2021–22 Bundesliga 1000———10
Total 391211———4013
Atlético Madrid 2021–22 La Liga 29621—5[lower-alpha 4]01[lower-alpha 5]0377
2022–23 La Liga 11010—5[lower-alpha 4]0—170
Total 40631—10010547
Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) 2022–23 Premier League 1722010——202
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2023–24 Premier League 2062110——237
Total 3784120——439
Career total 18038124202661022148

International

As of match played 18 October 2023[26]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Brazil 202140
202240
202330
Total110

Honours

Brazil U23

References

  1. ↑ "2023/24 Premier League squad lists". Premier League. 13 September 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Matheus Cunha: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Aos 18 anos, paraibano vira sensação do futebol suíço após se destacar pelo Coxa". globoesporte.globo.com. 10 November 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Indicado ao Puskas, Matheus Cunha faz sua campanha: "Estou chamando o Brasil inteiro pra votar"". globoesporte.globo.com. 25 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  5. ↑ "Aos 18 anos, Matheus Cunha é o artilheiro brasileiro na Suíça". globoesporte.globo.com. 22 May 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  6. ↑ "RB Leipzig's Samba speedster Matheus Cunha hot on the trail of Timo Werner". Bundesliga. 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  7. ↑ "Timo Werner scores twice as RB Leipzig see off Hertha Berlin in the capital". bundesliga.com. 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  8. ↑ "Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery wins Goal of the Month for May". bundesliga.com. 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  9. ↑ "Hertha BSC verpflichtet Matheus Matheus CunpuCunha" (in German). Hertha BSC. 31 January 2020.
  10. ↑ "He Has Signed a Five-Year Contract: Welcome, Cunha!". Atlético Madrid. 25 August 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  11. ↑ Cummins, Jo (29 October 2021). "LEVANTE 2-2 ATLETICO MADRID: TWO ENIS BARDHI PENALTIES DENY LA LIGA CHAMPIONS AS DIEGO SIMEONE SEES RED". Eurosport. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  12. ↑ "Cunha becomes Lopetegui's first signing". Wolverhampton Wanderers. 25 December 2022. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
  13. ↑ "Wolves sign Matheus Cunha on an initial loan from Atletico Madrid". BBC Sport. 26 December 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  14. ↑ Poole, Harry (4 January 2023). "Aston Villa 1–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers: Danny Ings denies Wolves in West Midlands derby". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  15. ↑ Howarth, Matthew (18 March 2023). "Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–4 Leeds United: Rare away win lifts visitors out of bottom three". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  16. ↑ Thomas, Marissa (3 September 2023). "Crystal Palace 3–2 Wolverhampton Wanderers: Odsonne Edouard scores twice as Palace beat Wolves". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  17. ↑ Sanders, Emma (21 October 2023). "Bournemouth 1–2 Wolverhampton Wanderers: Wolves score late winner against 10-man Cherries". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  18. ↑ Stone, Simon (16 January 2024). "Wolverhampton Wanderers 3–2 Brentford: Wolves set up FA Cup tie with West Brom". BBC Sport.
  19. ↑ "Seleção Olímpica é convocada para os Jogos Olímpicos de Tóquio 2020". CBF. 17 June 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  20. 1 2 "Official: Atletico Madrid sign Matheus Cunha". marca.com. 25 August 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  21. ↑ "Matheus Cunha". ogol.com.br. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  22. ↑ "Tite convoca a Seleção Brasileira para a estreia nas Eliminatórias" (in Portuguese). CBF. 18 September 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  23. ↑ "Matheus Cunha está convocado para a Seleção Brasileira" (in Portuguese). CBF. 25 September 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  24. ↑ "Chile v Brazil game report". FIFA. 2 September 2021.
  25. ↑ Matheus Cunha at Soccerway. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  26. ↑ "Matheus Cunha". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  27. ↑ "Festival International Espoirs Football Tournoi Maurice Revello Toulon". festival-foot-espoirs.com.
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