Matija Nastasić
Quick Facts
Biography
Matija Nastasić (Serbian Cyrillic: Матија Настасић; born 28 March 1993) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays for German club Schalke 04 and the Serbia national team as a centre back.
He began his career at Partizan, and after a loan to Teleoptik joined Fiorentina in 2011. After one season there he transferred to Manchester City for €15 million and a swap with Stefan Savić, winning the Premier League in 2014, despite injury problems. In 2015 he joined Schalke, initially on loan.
Nastasić made his senior international debut for Serbia in 2012, and has gone on to earn over 15 caps.
Club career
Partizan
Matija Nastasić is a product of Partizan youth academy. Unable to find space in the Partizan first team setup, he was sent out on loan to Serbian second division side FK Teleoptik from Zemun. There, the young, left footed centre back made 21 appearances and caught the eye of Fiorentina sporting director at that time, Pantaleo Corvino, who signed him in a deal for €4 million.
Fiorentina
Nastasić spent some time in the Fiorentina youth side but, due to a lack of quality centre backs in the squad and suspensions and injuries, he trained with the first team on many occasions. Fellow Serbian and Fiorentina manager Siniša Mihajlović handed him his Serie A debut on 11 September 2011 in a 2–0 win against Bologna. He went on to make a further 25 appearances that season but one stood out more than any and it was during this performance that he announced himself to Italian and World football. It was a match between La Viola and Milan at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. Nastasić showed many of his qualities - tackling, comfort on the ball, tactical astuteness. It was these qualities that led to a deadline day transfer to English Premier League side Manchester City in a move worth €24.4 million, excluding the value of Stefan Savić who was given to Fiorentina as part of the exchange.
Manchester City
Nastasić signed a five-year contract with new club Manchester City, ending on 30 June 2017. He was part of an exchange deal with Stefan Savić. He made his debut for the club on 18 September 2012, starting in a Champions League away fixture against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. He made his Premier League debut on 29 September in a 2–1 win against Fulham. He cemented his place in the starting XI and his great form won him the club's Player of the Month Award for November. Quickly becoming a fan favourite, the youngster pushed 30-year-old Joleon Lescott out of the starting lineup in centre-back position and was selected to start in the 2013 FA Cup Final, a 1–0 defeat to Wigan Athletic. In May 2013, he was named Manchester City's Young Player of the Season.
Nastasić had a less successful season in 2013–14, missing the majority of the campaign through injury. He made 13 league appearances and Manchester City won the Premier League title.
Schalke 04
On 13 January 2015, having not featured for City during the season, he was loaned to German club Schalke 04 for its remainder. He made his debut on 31 January, starting in a 1–0 home win over Hannover 96. Having not featured in the Champions League that season, he featured in both legs of Schalke's elimination by Real Madrid in the Last 16.
On 11 March 2015, Schalke 04 activated the transfer clause on his loan deal, believed to be €12 million, and Nastasić signed a four-year contract with the German club.
2015-16 season
On 8 August 2015, Nastasić marked his season debut by scoring his first goal for the club, in a 5–0 win at MSV Duisburg in the first round of the DFB-Pokal.
International career
Having already represented Serbia's youth sides, Nastasić made his debut for the Serbian national team on 29 February 2012, in a match against Cyprus.
Career statistics
Club
- As of 21 January 2017
Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Teleoptik | 2009–10 | 9 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 0 | ||||||
2010–11 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | |||||||
Total | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 21 | 0 | ||||||
Fiorentina | 2011–12 | 25 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 27 | 2 | |||||
2012–13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||||||
Total | 26 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | 29 | 2 | ||||||
Manchester City | 2012–13 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 30 | 0 | |
2013–14 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 0 | |||
2014–15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
Total | 34 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 51 | 0 | |
Schalke 04 | 2014–15 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 18 | 0 | ||
2015–16 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |||||
2016–17 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 17 | 0 | |||||
Total | 29 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 6 | 0 | — | 37 | 1 | |||
Career total | 110 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 138 | 3 |
International
- As of match played 12 November 2016
Serbian national team | ||
---|---|---|
Year | Apps | Goals |
2012 | 6 | 0 |
2013 | 7 | 0 |
2014 | 3 | 0 |
2015 | 3 | 0 |
2016 | 4 | 0 |
Total | 23 | 0 |
Senior International appearances | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
# | Date | Venue | Opponent | Result | Competition | Note | |||
1. | 29 February 2012 | GSZ Stadium, Larnaca, Cyprus | Cyprus | 0–0 | Friendly | Time played: 90' (complete game) | |||
2. | 15 August 2012 | Stadion Rajko Mitić, Belgrade, Serbia | Republic of Ireland | 0–0 | Friendly | Time played: 90' (complete game) | |||
3. | 8 September 2012 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland | Scotland | 0–0 | 2014 World Cup Qualification Group A | Time played: 90' (complete game) (30') | |||
4. | 11 September 2012 | Stadion Karađorđe, Novi Sad, Serbia | Wales | 6–1 | 2014 World Cup Qualification Group A | Time played: 90' (complete game) | |||
5. | 12 October 2012 | Stadion Rajko Mitić, Belgrade, Serbia | Belgium | 0–3 | 2014 World Cup Qualification Group A | Time played: 90' (complete game) | |||
6. | 16 October 2012 | National Arena Philip II of Macedonia, Skopje, Republic of Macedonia | Macedonia | 0–1 | 2014 World Cup Qualification Group A | Time played: 90' (complete game) | |||
7. | 6 February 2013 | GSP Stadium, Nicosia, Cyprus | Cyprus | 3–1 | Friendly | Time played: 90' (complete game) | |||
8. | 22 March 2013 | Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia | Croatia | 0–2 | 2014 World Cup Qualification Group A | Time played: 90' (complete game) | |||
9. | 26 March 2013 | Stadion Karađorđe, Novi Sad, Serbia | Scotland | 2–0 | 2014 World Cup Qualification Group A | Time played: 90' (complete game) (61') | |||
10. | 6 September 2013 | Stadion Rajko Mitić, Belgrade, Serbia | Croatia | 1–1 | 2014 World Cup Qualification Group A | Time played: 90' (complete game) | |||
11. | 10 September 2013 | Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales | Wales | 3–0 | 2014 World Cup Qualification Group A | Time played: 90' (complete game) | |||
12. | 11 October 2013 | Stadion Karađorđe, Novi Sad, Serbia | Japan | 2–0 | Friendly | Time played: 90' (complete game) | |||
13. | 15 October 2013 | Jagodina City Stadium, Jagodina, Serbia | Macedonia | 5–1 | 2014 World Cup Qualification Group A | Time played: 90' (complete game) | |||
14. | 7 September 2014 | Partizan Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia | France | 1–1 | Friendly | Time played: 90' (complete game) (64') | |||
15. | 11 October 2014 | Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium, Yerevan, Armenia | Armenia | 1–1 | 2016 Euro Qualification Group I | Time played: 90' (complete game) (45') | |||
16. | 14 October 2014 | Partizan Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia | Albania | 0–3 | 2016 Euro Qualification Group I | Time played: 41' (complete game) | |||
17. | 29 March 2015 | Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal | Portugal | 1–2 | 2016 Euro Qualification Group I | Time played: 90' (complete game) | |||
18. | 7 July 2015 | NV Arena, Sankt Pölten, Austria | Azerbaijan | 4–1 | Friendly | Time played: 90' (complete game) | |||
19. | 13 July 2015 | Parken, Copenhagen, Denmark | Denmark | 0–2 | 2016 Euro Qualification Group I | Time played: 90' (complete game) | |||
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Honours
Club
Manchester City
- Premier League: 2013–14
- Football League Cup: 2013–14
Individual
- Manchester City Young Player of the Year: 2012–13
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