Alexandru Irinel Mățan (Romanian pronunciation: [alekˈsandru məˈt͡san]; born 29 August 1999) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger.
 Mățan with the Columbus Crew in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Alexandru Irinel Mățan | ||
| Date of birth | 29 August 1999 | ||
| Place of birth | Galați, Romania | ||
| Height | 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder, winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2009–2017 | Gheorghe Hagi Academy | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2021 | Viitorul Constanța | 53 | (3) |
| 2019–2020 | → Voluntari (loan) | 25 | (1) |
| 2021–2024 | Columbus Crew | 93 | (5) |
| 2022 | Columbus Crew 2 | 4 | (0) |
| 2022 | → Rapid București (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2014–2015 | Romania U16 | 4 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | Romania U17 | 3 | (0) |
| 2016 | Romania U18 | 1 | (1) |
| 2017–2018 | Romania U19 | 6 | (8) |
| 2017–2021 | Romania U21 | 11 | (2) |
| 2021 | Romania Olympic | 2 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20 October 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 8 June 2021 | |||
Club career
editViitorul Constanța
editAn academy graduate of Viitorul Constanța,[1] Mățan made his Liga I debut on 6 May 2016, aged 16. He entered as a 63rd-minute substitute for Ciprian Perju and converted a penalty kick in the 3–3 away draw at Dinamo București.[2]
Mățan made his first appearance in European competitions on 12 July 2018, starting in a 2–0 away win over Luxembourgish team Racing FC in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League.
On 6 July 2019, Mățan played the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 victory over CFR Cluj for the season's Supercupa României. He subsequently participated in five of the following six games, starting all of them, which included both legs of his team's 7–5 aggregate loss to Gent in the second qualifying round of the Europa League. He was then sent on a loan for the remainder of the season to fellow league club Voluntari, amassing 25 games and netting once during his stint.[3][4]
Columbus Crew
editOn 8 March 2021, Mățan joined American team Columbus Crew in a transfer rumored to be worth around €1.5 million.[5][6] He made his Major League Soccer debut on 18 April, coming on as an 88th-minute substitute for Pedro Santos in a goalless draw with Philadelphia Union.
Mățan registered his first CONCACAF Champions League game 11 days later, a 2–2 home draw with Mexican side Monterrey. Playing mainly as a left winger, he totaled 30 matches in all competitions during his first season in Columbus, starting in only nine of them and failing to score.
Loan to Rapid București
editAfter falling down the pecking order for the Columbus Crew and featuring for the reserve team, Mățan was sent on a five-month loan to Rapid București on 9 August 2022, with the loan also including a purchase option.[7][8] He made his debut for "the White-Burgundies" four days later, in a 1–0 away derby loss to Petrolul Ploiești.
On 23 December 2022, it was announced that Mățan's loan ended, with the player having made only six appearances due to a stress fracture suffered on his toe.[9]
Return to Columbus Crew
editMățan returned to Columbus at the start of 2023, after Rapid București did not trigger the purchase option in his loan.[10] On 18 March, he scored his first goal for the Crew in a 2–1 league loss to New York Red Bulls.[11]
On 12 October 2024, Mățan scored his first professional hat-trick against the New England Revolution at Lower.com Field.[12]
On 13 November 2024, it was announced that Mățan will leave the club after four years tenure with Columbus.[13]
International career
editOn 21 March 2018, Mățan scored twice for the Romania national under-19 team in a 4–0 victory over Serbia at the Ilie Oană Stadium in Ploiești.[14]
In 2021, Mățan featured for the under-21 side in the UEFA European Championship. He made three appearances in the eventual group-stage exit, and contributed with the equaliser in a 2–1 win against hosts Hungary on 27 March.
Style of play
editA diminutive playmaker, Mățan is typically deployed as an attacking midfielder, although he occasionally takes on the role of a left winger. As a left winger, he often cuts inside towards the center of the pitch, making use of his stronger right foot for dribbling and showcasing his flair. Moreover, he maintains a commendable work rate, contributing effectively to both offensive and defensive phases of the game. Mățan exhibits above-average dribbling skills, along with notable speed and agility.[5][15][16]
Career statistics
editClub
edit- As of match played 3 November 2024[17]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Viitorul Constanța | 2015–16 | Liga I | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | |||
| 2017–18 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 1[a] | 0 | 16 | 2 | |||
| 2018–19 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | 20 | 1 | |||
| 2019–20 | 3 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 6 | 0 | |||
| 2020–21 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 53 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 66 | 5 | ||
| Voluntari (loan) | 2019–20 | Liga I | 25 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 1 | ||
| Columbus Crew | 2021 | Major League Soccer | 28 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 30 | 0 | ||
| 2022 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 | ||||
| 2023 | 31 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 8[b] | 2 | 40 | 3 | |||
| 2024 | 28 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 7[c] | 0 | 40 | 5 | ||
| Total | 93 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 15 | 2 | 117 | 8 | ||
| Columbus Crew 2 | 2022 | MLS Next Pro | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | |||
| Rapid București (loan) | 2022–23 | Liga I | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | 6 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 181 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 13 | 1 | 17 | 2 | 219 | 14 | ||
- ^ a b Appearance in Supercupa României
- ^ Two appearances and one goal in Leagues Cup and six appearances and one goal in MLS Cup Playoffs
- ^ Four appearances in Leagues Cup, one appearance in Campeones Cup and two appearances in MLS Cup Playoffs
Honours
editViitorul Constanța[17]
Columbus Crew
- MLS Cup: 2023
- CONCACAF Champions Cup runner-up: 2024
- Campeones Cup: 2021; runner-up: 2024
- Leagues Cup: 2024
References
edit- ^ "Academia Hagi propune un nou jucător de excepţie: Alex Măţan are doar 15 ani, dar i-a impresionat pe antrenori" [Hagi Academy proposes a new exceptional player: Alex Mățan is only 15 years old, but he impressed his coaches] (in Romanian). ProSport. 23 October 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- ^ "Debut perfect pentru noua "perla" a lui Hagi de la Viitorul" [Perfect debut for Hagi's new Viitorul "jewel"] (in Romanian). Ziare.com. 9 May 2016. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
- ^ "Succes, Alex Mățan, Arpad Tordai și Andrei Tîrcoveanu". www.farulconstanta.com (in Romanian). 3 September 2019. Archived from the original on 9 August 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ "Alexandru Mățan 2019-2020 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ a b "SIGNED | Columbus Crew SC acquires midfielder Alexandru Matan from Romanian side FC Viitorul Constanta". Columbus Crew SC. 8 March 2021. Archived from the original on 9 August 2023. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
- ^ "Transferul lui Alex Mățan la Columbus Crew e 95% rezolvat! Gică Hagi și americanii au ajuns la un acord, fotbalistul trebuie să facă vizita medicală și apoi să plece | EXCLUSIV". Prosport (in Romanian). 25 February 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- ^ "Columbus Crew loans midfielder Alexandru Matan to FC Rapid Bucuresti | Columbus Crew". ColumbusCrew.com. 9 August 2022. Archived from the original on 17 August 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
- ^ "Alex Mățan a fost împrumutat de Rapid" [Alex Mățan was loaned by Rapid] (in Romanian). FC Rapid București. 9 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
- ^ "Împrumutul lui Mățan s-a încheiat" [Mățan's loan has ended] (in Romanian). FC Rapid București. 23 December 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
- ^ "Alex Mățan e istorie la Rapid! Adrian Mutu: "Nu are rost să stea cu noi"". www.digisport.ro (in Romanian). 2 December 2022. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
- ^ Johnson, Bailey (19 March 2023). "Three things we learned from the Columbus Crew's 2-1 loss at New York Red Bulls". The Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on 19 March 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
- ^ https://www.dispatch.com/story/sports/mls/columbus-crew/2024/10/13/alex-matan-records-hat-trick-for-columbus-crew-vs-caleb-porter/75595007007/
- ^ https://eu.dispatch.com/story/sports/mls/columbus-crew/2024/11/13/columbus-crew-forward-alex-matan-is-set-to-leave-the-club/76255653007/
- ^ "Romania 4–0 Serbia". UEFA. 21 March 2018. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
- ^ Myers, Jacob. "Romanian midfielder Alex Matan ready for 'amazing' time with Columbus Crew". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
- ^ "Alexandru Mățan, propus la FCSB de Dumitru Dragomir: "Gigi Becali să pună repede banii să-l cumpere"". GSP (in Romanian). Retrieved 7 September 2023.
- ^ a b Alexandru Mățan at Soccerway. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
External links
edit- Alexandru Mățan at RomanianSoccer.ro (in Romanian)
- Alexandru Mățan – UEFA competition record (archive)