In Lyon, Nemanja Matić left his mark. With a great career marked by remarkable stints in England, the defensive midfielder landed between Rhône and Saône in the winter of 2023. After six months where he was never comfortable with Rennes, the former Chelsea player absolutely wanted to join OL despite the fight for maintenance in which the Gones were engaged. Signing a two and a half year contract with the Lyonnais, Matić ultimately had a great story at Groupama Stadium. Under the spell of Pierre Sage, the veteran was crucial in the crazy rise in the standings of Alexandre Lacazette’s teammates in Ligue 1.
His first full season with Lyon was more mixed. Always important with Sage, the Serbian suffered from the departure of the coach in December and is no longer as unbreakable under the orders of Paulo Fonseca. Also getting older and older, Matić has difficulty stringing together matches every three days and is losing his shine on the field. Finally, after a half-hearted season, the divorce was finalized with his coach when the latter preferred to field Paul Akouokou during the double confrontation against Manchester United in the quarter-finals of the Europa League. Faced with the club’s dire economic situation last summer, Matić was released from his last year of contract due to his high salary. Tracked for months by Italy and Como, Matić finally decided to join Sassuolo freely.
Nemanja Matić’s second youth with Sassuolo
Signing a one-year contract with the Neroverdi, the native of Sabac wanted to find pleasure again in Italy, two years after his departure from AS Roma. And the least we can say is that the Italian air suits the Manchester United defector. Under the orders of… Fabio Grosso, whom he almost met in Lyon within a month, Matić is providential. Constantly starting, he has only missed eight minutes this season in Serie A. Impressive reliability at this age and which also translates on the field with remarkable performances. Technical guarantee of the promoted midfield, Matić contributes greatly to his team’s good start to the season.
Captain twice since the start of this vintage, number 18 of the MAPEI Stadium residents is driving his supporters and teammates crazy. At a press conference, his trainer Fabio Grosso was also rave about him: “ Nemanja Matić? You always ask me the same question, and my answer does not change: he is a very high level player. His career speaks for itself. A top player also because he knew how to adapt to our reality. I am very happy with what he brings to the field, and above all, proud of him as a man. » Discreet in the press, Matić is responding on the pitch for the moment and showing, even at 37, that he can still be one of the best in his position in Serie A.
