A former Chelsea stat has found another new clubplaceholder image
A former Chelsea stat has found another new club | Getty Images
A former Chelsea favourite is still gunning at the age of 37, finding another top division club.
A former Chelsea favourite has found a new club at the age of 37, with his career stretching beyond the usual age, even for these days. Nemanja Matic has had a long and successful career up to this point, representing nine clubs so far, and he is about to find his tenth.
Matic played for Chelsea across two spells, initially arriving in 2009 but failing to make an impact before joining Benfica two years later. He then returned to Stamford Bridge in 2014 for a much more successful spell.
During his second stint at the Bridge, Matic made 121 league appearances in three years, playing a central role in two Premier League wins, while he also won the FA Cup and League Cup before joining Manchester United in 2017. Interestingly, Matic has not managed to win a single trophy beyond his time at Chelsea, with all of his eight trophy wins coming across his time at the Blues and Benfica.
For the last two seasons, Matic has been playing in Ligue 1 in France, spending a season at Rennes and then Lyon, and at the ages of 35 and 36, he managed to make 44 league appearances for Olympique Lyon, which is a hugely impressive feat.
And with tread still seemingly on the tyres, Matic has now been offered a one-year deal by a Serie A club. Fabrizio Romano reported on X: “Nemanja Matić has agreed to join Serie A side Sassuolo on one year deal. After leaving OL, Matić said yes to Sassuolo proposal as Serie A has always been a concrete idea in his mind. Deal also includes an option for further season. Here we go.”
Jose Mourinho once said of Matic while at Chelsea: “He is the best player. At this moment he is a giant, not for his size but for the way he plays. The man is a giant. He was signed in the most difficult market. Which is for the players who are coming in mid-season, so the last half of the season was for him to improve, not adaptation, as he was a Chelsea player before, but to improve.”
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