A few days ago, we prepared an article about Matthijs de Ligt biography. After we were done with the article, we found out how many interesting facts about Matthijs de Ligt had been left over. So, we decided to prepare another article with all the facts and stories that we failed to cover in his biography.
Matthijs de Ligt is currently playing for the top German team Bayern Munich. He has found his future in the team and is aiming to achieve higher and much more noble accomplishments in the near future. However, his life outside the pitch is a lot different. We usually only observe a player’s performance in the field and suffice with the information. But there are a lot of interesting facts about Matthijs de Ligt you can learn if you follow him outside the field.
A complete list of interesting facts about Matthijs De Ligt
So now, without further ado, let us dive deep into the article of interesting facts about Matthijs de Ligt.
Matthijs De Ligt is a master record breaker!
We have given you some statistics proving this player is a record-breaker.
De Ligt broke several amazing records and we have included them in Matthijs de Ligt amazing facts, so it should come as no surprise that he was receiving praise and honors from a young age.
Only one month and nine days after turning 17 years old, he started against Willem II in a cup game, becoming the club’s youngest-ever full début. He celebrated the milestone by scoring after just 25 minutes. De Ligt became the club’s second-youngest scorer at the time, trailing only Clarence Seedorf, and he later became the youngest player to captain Ajax and to serve as the captain of any team in a UEFA Champions League knockout game when he did so in February 2019 against none other than Real Madrid, a team with a history of dominating Europe. De Ligt was 19 years and 186 days old at the time.
The records section of interesting facts about Matthijs de Ligt doesn’t stop here. De Ligt also set a record for being the youngest player to play in a European final when, at the age of 17 years and 285 days, he made his debut against Manchester United in the 2018 UEFA Europa League final. The extensive list of records he broke didn’t end at the club level, as he later became the player to make 100 appearances for Ajax at a younger age than any other player.
De Ligt made his senior debut for the Netherlands against Bulgaria in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying, making him the nation’s youngest player to play for the country since 1931. All of these records make his name even more unforgettable in the minds of fans.
Matthijs De Ligt was meant to be a midfielder
One of a player’s distinguishing qualities is flexibility, which gives the coach more alternatives when setting up a game plan. Although many players switch positions during a game, they usually return to their starting spot. De Ligt, on the other hand, was intended to play in midfield, not at the back.
One of the unknown facts about Matthijs De Ligt is that he was a midfielder for his youth team, but his playmaking style was more suited to a defensive than an offensive one.
He once explained the situation: “Until I was 15, I was an attacking midfielder,” he explained to UEFA.com.
“I played a lot in midfield, I scored some goals, gave some assists, and then suddenly they said to me it would be better for my career to go one position back, to center-back. In the beginning, I was thinking: ‘I don’t like being a defender,’ but now I’m starting to realize that the way I was brought up as a midfielder is helping me. So I’m really happy that this was the development I had to go through.”
Matthijs De Ligt childhood idol
If you read the biography of famous athletes, most of them adore Pele, Maradona, or Johan Cruyff. Some even idolize the legendary players of their country. One of the fun facts about Matthijs de Ligt is that his childhood idols were not Gerd Muller or Lothar Matthaus. You will never guess who his idol was!
De Ligt always dreamed of becoming Cristiano Ronaldo! From a young age, when he was playing football with his friends, he would impersonate Cristiano Ronaldo. He would even wear a shirt with Cristiano Ronaldo’s name on it. Of course, back then, Ronaldo was not playing for Real Madrid, so Matthijs de Ligt idolized Cristiano when he was playing for Manchester United.
Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini, two great teachers
De Ligt’s ability to blend the Old School with the New is not accidental, as is evident from Ajax’s desire to use young players in many positions, and there is additional proof in his former playing partners.
Matthijs had the opportunity to play alongside many great players; thus, he learned a lot from them. Moreover, Since he had played for different leagues, the playstyle adaptation has helped him in determining which playstyle suits the situation the best and thus utilizes a successful defensive strategy.
In addition to playing alongside Virgil van Dijk for his nation, De Ligt also played for Juventus alongside the famed Italian tandem of Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini. The player acknowledges that De Ligt is learning from some experience.
Also, Virgil van Dijk, a player with experience in the top leagues, taught him a lot.
The Golden Boy
The Golden boy award is given to young players who are the most impressive in Europe leagues. It is one of Matthijs de Ligt top facts that he managed to lift the trophy.
He succeeded Kylian Mbappe as the 2018 Golden Boy at the young age of 19, winning the award ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold and becoming the first defender to do so. A year later, France Football awarded him the Kopa Award as the world’s finest U21 player, but De Ligt maintained his composure amid sky-high expectations.
He said that at such a young age, a lot of things were coming at him. The defender added that a lot of people were criticizing his every move. He didn’t lose sight of the greater picture, though.
He also added that “When you win the Golden Boy [award], that gives some pressure. But as a player, you have to love the pressure. Because it says, you are something good. Seeing it this way gives me some space in my head.”
Matthijs De Ligt lifestyle and assets
Outside football, most players have an exciting life. This is because most of them sign contracts with teams that pay them millions. With huge stacks of money comes the luxurious lifestyle we see on TV. But how much is Matthijs life affected by the money he is making? We will talk about this in this section of interesting facts about Matthijs de Ligt.
In contrast to the majority of talented young footballers, Matthijs de Ligt has a special quality in his personal life. Several people who know him say that he has a composed, determined, serious, intelligent, and joyful attitude. He is also loyal and serious.
Matthijs enjoys his alone time and dislikes receiving attention unrelated to his work. He doesn’t want to hang out with everyone. That’s not his style. Most of his alone time is spent playing video games or watching movies. The game he likes to play the most is Fifa.
Because his mother persuaded him, Matthijs managed to get his driver’s license. He had previously stated, though, that taking driving lessons wouldn’t work into his training plan.
During his time in Italy with Serie A club Juventus, the defender was seen traveling around in a Jeep Cherokee.
While many expected him to have a Benz since this company is one of Ajax club’s supporters and sponsors, it seems that this is not the case for now.
Matthijs De Ligt net worth
Talking about footballers’ net worth is a hot topic, especially for the male audience, since they tend to compare the players and then brag about their favorite player’s fortune to their friends. Since players become famous in the green field, they also get involved with a number of advertisement campaigns and endorsements. These endorsements add to their total net worth. Thus talking about their additional sources of income should also be a part of the discussion when talking about the money that the players gross.
In this section of interesting facts about Matthijs de Ligt, we will go over his net worth and all of his side hustles.
Nike sponsors Matthijs de Ligt as a player. For the 22/23 season, he will wear the Nike Phantom GT2 Elite boots and promote the product in the field. Since this defender has risen to fame in recent years, we are sure that many will look forward to buying the product.
One of Matthijs de Ligt Interesting facts is that in 2023, De Ligt’s net worth is $8.48 million, most of which will come from his official income and Bayern Munich contracts.
The 23-year-deal old’s with Bayern Munich has five years left and will end on June 30, 2027. His contract has 80 million euros in gross remaining.
For the 2022–23 campaign, the center-back will receive a gross salary of €16 million. His Bayern Munich salary is €307,692 per week.
Matthijs de Ligt transferred from Juventus to Bayern Munich in 2022 for an estimated transfer fee of €77 million. His market value as of right now is €70.00 million.
The most interesting fact among interesting facts about Matthijs de Ligt is that he is the number 1 player in the whole Netherlands with the highest market value and third in his team.
Matthijs De Ligt girl friend
Matthijs has been seen with his girlfriend often in public and on social media pictures. Many wonders who he is with, so here’s a complete section of interesting facts about Matthijs De Ligt dedicated to his GF.
Since his time at Ajax, Matthijs allegedly has been dating fellow Dutchwoman Annekee Molenaar. Matthijs De Ligt enrolled in the Ajax academy at the age of just nine. Since then, the defender has kept moving forward without turning around.
When De Ligt was truly making a reputation for himself in the world of football in 2018, the couple began dating, and they have been together ever since.
Football obsession runs in AnneKee’s family. His brother and father are all interested in the great activity. That might have made her boyfriend and her a great match. Obviously, her family shouldn’t have any issues letting a football player take their daughter’s hand! Despite the jokes, De Ligt and the Dutch beauty have been dating for a while. The Juventus star had, however, been in numerous romances.
That being the case, it is quite uncertain whether their relationship will endure.
Jip Molenaar, her brother, is a center-back for the Dutch club FC Volendam U21. Whether AnneKee was considering a football career is currently unknown. Yet if she had such a desire, we wouldn’t be too astonished.
There are currently no children living with the couple. Both of them are still quite busy with their occupations despite being very young. So, having a kid might not be in their immediate plans. They do, however, consider their two lovely dogs to be members of the family. Their dogs are named Bella and Cara Luna.
Matthijs De Ligt instagram account
For the last section of interesting facts about Matthijs de Ligt we will talk about his social media.
Millions of people follow the Instagram profiles of well-known football players. They frequently post pictures of their daily lives and activities away from the sport.
These kinds of sportsmen frequently use Instagram as their primary photo-sharing medium, and Matthijs is one of them.
On Instagram, Matthijs de Ligt is highly active. Because of his success at Ajax, and Bayern Munich, the player has a sizable worldwide fan base. He also created his Instagram account at the same time.
The fact that Matthijs de Ligt publishes on Instagram once a week has helped him gain more than 5 million followers.
We hope that you have found what you have been looking for in interesting facts about Matthijs de Ligt. Did we miss anything? Let us know!
