My Take
Matthijs de Ligt is one of those players who genuinely makes you do a double-take the first time you see his age — a centre-back captaining Ajax at 18 and marshalling the Netherlands back line before most kids his age had figured out their university major. His combination of raw physical dominance at 189 cm, aggressive tackling, and composure under pressure felt almost anachronistic, like a throwback to the era of no-nonsense European defenders. The Kopa Trophy in 2018 confirmed what everyone watching had already sensed. His moves through Juventus, Bayern Munich, and then to Manchester United tracked a career still very much in the making, and I think we haven't yet seen the best version of him — which, honestly, is exciting rather than worrying.
Overview
Matthijs de Ligt (born 12 August 1999) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Premier League club Manchester United and the Netherlands national team. He is known for his aggressive tackling, aerial ability, leadership and strength. De Ligt made his debut for Ajax's senior team in September 2016 in a cup game against Willem II.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Matthijs de Ligt
- Name (Japanese)
- マタイス・デ・リフト
- Reading
- またいす・で・りふと
- Born
- August 12, 1999 (age 26)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Leo / Rabbit
- Origin
- Leiderdorp, South Holland, Netherlands
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 189 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- association football player
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 2018 Talent of the year
- Kopa Trophy
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.