Matthew James Doherty (born 16 January 1992) is an Irish professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who plays as a
centre-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
and the Republic of Ireland national team.
Doherty was signed by Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2010, who played his Irish club Bohemians during pre-season. He gained senior football experience with loan spells at Hibernian and Bury, before beginning to regularly feature in Wolves' first team. Doherty was at Molineux for ten years, and made 302 appearances for the club in all competitions. After spells at
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...
and
Atlético Madrid
Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), commonly referred to as Atlético Madrid or simply Atlético, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid that plays in La Liga. The club play their home game ...
, Doherty returned to Wolverhampton Wanderers in July 2023.
Having represented the Republic of Ireland U21s, Doherty received his first call-up to the senior
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
squad in 2016.
Club career
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Doherty was spotted by
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
while playing for Bohemians in a pre-season game against them in July 2010. Despite never having played a first team game for Bohemians, he was invited for a trial and soon signed a two-year deal (with the option of a further year) to move to the English club for a reported £75,000 fee.
The defender made his Wolves debut on 8 January 2011 in an
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
tie against
Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system after winning the 202 ...
, before making his Premier League debut on 24 September 2011 at
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
.
In January 2012, Doherty was loaned to
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the Scottish football league system, top-level league competition for professional Association football, football clubs in Scotland. The league was founded in 1998, when it broke away from the Scottish Foo ...
club Hibernian for the latter part of the 2011–12 season. Here, he played in every
defensive
Defense or defence may refer to:
Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups
* Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare
* Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks
* Defense indust ...
position, although his preference was right-back. After making his debut in a 1–0 victory against
Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock ( ; ; , ), meaning "the church of Mernóc", is a town and former burgh in East Ayrshire situated in southwest Scotland. The town has served as the administrative centre of East Ayrshire Council since 1996 and is the region's main ...
on 4 February in the
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,2012 Scottish Cup final, against
Edinburgh derby
The Edinburgh derby is an informal title given to any association football, football match played between Football in Scotland, Scottish clubs Heart of Midlothian F.C., Heart of Midlothian (Hearts) and Hibernian F.C., Hibernian (Hibs), the two o ...
rivals Hearts, where Hibs lost 1–5. Doherty later apologised for the team's performance.
In October 2012, Doherty was again loaned out, joining League One club Bury in a three-month deal. Two days later, Doherty made his debut for Bury, in a 0–1 defeat to
Swindon Town
Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system.
Founded as Swindon A ...
, in the first of 22 appearances for the club. He established himself in the first team, playing in the right-back position and earning praise from manager
Kevin Blackwell
Kevin Patrick Blackwell (born 21 December 1958) is an English professional football manager, executive and former player who is currently the technical director of Ekstraklasa club Lechia Gdańsk.
Playing career
Blackwell was born in Luton an ...
. However financial troubles at Bury meant that their loan players, such as Doherty, were sent back to their parent clubs in January 2013.
With
Dean Saunders
Dean Nicholas Saunders (born 21 June 1964) is a Welsh football manager and former professional footballer.
As a player, he was a striker in a career which lasted from 1982 until 2001. He played for Liverpool and Aston Villa in the 1990s, and ...
appointed Wolves manager in January 2013, Doherty was soon promoted to becoming the club's regular right-back and he featured throughout the final months of the 2012–13 season as the team battled unsuccessfully to avoid a second consecutive relegation. Under Saunders' successor,
Kenny Jackett
Kenneth Francis Jackett (born 5 January 1962) is an English football manager and former player who played for Watford. He was most recently director of football at club Gillingham.
A skilful left-footed player, able to play in defence or midf ...
, Doherty retained his place in the Wolves' team and, in September 2013, signed a new contract.
Doherty's goal against Fulham at Molineux during the 2015–16 campaign was awarded the club's best goal of the season. On 26 September 2017, he signed a new contract keeping him at Wolves until the summer of 2021. Towards the end of the 2017–18 campaign, Wolves were promoted back to the
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
after a six-year absence.
Doherty scored his first Premier League goal for Wolves (on his ninth appearance in the Premier League) on 6 October 2018 at
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition buildin ...
as the team won 1–0. Two days later it was announced that Doherty had won the
Professional Footballers' Association
The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) is the trade union for professional footballers in England and Wales.
Founded in 1907, it is the world's oldest professional sports trade union, with approximately 5,000 current members each seaso ...
Fans' Premier League Player of the Month award for September 2018, becoming only the fourth Ireland player to win this award in the history of the Premier League.
Doherty scored his second Premier League goal for Wolves on his 200th league appearance for the club on 30 November 2018 at
Cardiff City
Cardiff City Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It currently competes in , the third tier of the English football league system in the 2025–26 season following relegation. Founded in 1899 a ...
in a 2–1 defeat. The following 15 February, he signed a new contract that would keep him at the club until the summer of 2023.
Doherty scored his fourth Premier League goal, and his first Premier League goal to be scored at Molineux, in a 3–1 win over
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
, Wolves's first win against Arsenal since 1979, on 24 April 2019. That 8 August, he scored the team's first goal in a 4–0 win on his debut appearance in European competition in the
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
Qualifying Third Round, 1st Leg, against
FC Pyunik
Football Club Pyunik (), commonly known as Pyunik (), is an Armenian professional sports club based in the Kentron neighbourhood of Yerevan. Pyunik is mostly known for its professional football team which, since its creation in 1992, has always ...
in
Yerevan
Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...
,
Armenia
Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
.
Writing in ''The Guardian'' in December 2019, Paul Doyle declared Doherty Wolves' best player of the decade. He marked his 300th appearance for the club (in all competitions) in their last league game of the 2019–20 season away to Chelsea on 26 July 2020. The 302nd and final appearance of his ten-year spell, was in the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League quarter-final against
Sevilla
Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula.
Seville ...
on 11 August.
Tottenham Hotspur
On 30 August 2020, Doherty was sold to
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...
for £13.4 million with no add-ons and signed on a four-year deal . As a life-long
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
fan, Doherty had expressed his love of Tottenham's local rivals on social media, and on signing for Tottenham the player and club made a light-hearted video about the deletion of these historic comments. He made his debut on 13 September in a 1–0 home defeat against Everton.
Doherty battled for his right-back place against Serge Aurier. On 2 January 2021, he was sent off at the end of a 3–0 home win over
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system.
Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
.
On 26 February 2022, Doherty scored his first goal for Tottenham in a Premier League clash against Leeds United at
Elland Road
Elland Road, or Elland Road Stadium, is a football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which has been the Home (sports), home of Leeds United F.C., Leeds United since the club's formation in 1919. The stadium is the List of foot ...
.
Tottenham eventually won the game 4–0 in which
Son Heung-min
Son Heung-min (; born 8 July 1992) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains both club Tottenham Hotspur and the South Korea national team. Known for his speed, finishing, two-footedness, and ability ...
and
Harry Kane
Harry Edward Kane (born 28 July 1993) is an English professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for Bundesliga club FC Bayern Munich, Bayern Munich and Captain (association football), c ...
also became the Premier League's deadliest partnership in terms of goals and assists for each other. On 9 April 2022, Doherty suffered a
medial collateral ligament
The medial collateral ligament (MCL), also called the superficial medial collateral ligament (sMCL) or tibial collateral ligament (TCL), is one of the major ligaments of the knee. It is on the medial (inner) side of the knee joint and occurs in ...
injury in a win over
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
that kept him out of action for the rest of the season.
Doherty scored his first goal of the 2022–23 season – his third for the club – in Spurs' 4–0 win over
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition buildin ...
at
Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park is a football stadium in Selhurst, in the London Borough of Croydon, England, which is the home ground of Premier League club Crystal Palace. The stadium was designed by Archibald Leitch and opened in 1924. It has hosted interna ...
on 4 January 2023.
Atlético Madrid
On 31 January 2023, Spurs terminated Doherty's contract so he could join
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
club
Atlético Madrid
Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), commonly referred to as Atlético Madrid or simply Atlético, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid that plays in La Liga. The club play their home game ...
, He featured just twice for Atletico, and left the club as a free agent.
Return to Wolves
On 20 July 2023, Doherty returned to
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
on a three-year contract on a free transfer.
Doherty returned to first-team action for Wolves, three years and 18 days after last featuring for the club, in a home
EFL Cup
The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England.
Orga ...
game against
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
on 29 August 2023, and announced his return with a brace of goals in a 5–0 win.
Doherty scored his first Wolves goal in the Premier League since returning to the club in the close season on Christmas Eve 2023 at Molineux, the first 24 December league fixture in 28 years: the winner in a 2–1 victory over Chelsea.
International career
Doherty played for the
Republic of Ireland national under-19 football team
The Republic of Ireland national under-19 football team, is the national under-19 football team of the Republic of Ireland and is controlled by the Football Association of Ireland and competes in the biennial European Under-19 Football Champions ...
. In May 2012, he was put on standby for the under-21s.
Doherty received his first call-up to the senior
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
squad on 11 March 2016, for Ireland's friendlies against
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
and
Slovakia
Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
. He made his senior debut on 23 March 2018, in a 1–0 defeat to
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
, coming on as a substitute for captain Séamus Coleman. He featured in an Ireland starting XI for the first time in the Republic's
UEFA Nations League
The UEFA Nations League is an international European football competition played by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of UEFA, the sport's European governing body. The competition was devised to minimise friendlies a ...
match with
Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
in
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
on 13 October 2018, just days after becoming only the fourth Republic of Ireland player in the history of the Premier League to win the
Professional Footballers' Association
The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) is the trade union for professional footballers in England and Wales.
Founded in 1907, it is the world's oldest professional sports trade union, with approximately 5,000 current members each seaso ...
Fans' Premier League Player of the Month award. Doherty scored his first international goal in Ireland's 1–1 draw with Denmark on 19 November 2019.
On 16 November 2020, the
Football Association of Ireland
The Football Association of Ireland (FAI; ) is the governing body for association football in the Republic of Ireland.
Organisation
The FAI has an executive committee of five members under the president, who receive expenses, as well as a p ...
announced that Doherty had tested positive for
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
after playing a full game against
Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
at the
Cardiff City Stadium
The Cardiff City Stadium () is a stadium in the Leckwith, Cardiff, Leckwith area of Cardiff, Wales. It is the home of Cardiff City F.C., Cardiff City and the Wales national football team, Wales national team.
Following expansion of the Ninian S ...
. The announcement also included James McClean's positive result.
Doherty was also eligible to play for the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
as his mother is Dutch.
On 22 March 2023, Doherty captained the Republic of Ireland for the first time in a friendly against
Latvia
Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...
. He received his first international red card during Ireland's 2–1 loss to
Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
Doherty's father is Irish, while his mother is of Dutch-Indonesian descent, as Doherty's grandmother is Indonesian.
Career statistics
Club
International
:''Scores and results list the Republic of Ireland's goal tally first.''
Honours
Hibernian
*
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,2011–12
Wolverhampton Wanderers
*
EFL Championship
The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, it is the highest divi ...
Football League One
The English Football League One, known as Sky Bet League One for sponsorship reasons, or simply League One, is a professional association football league in England. EFL League One is the second-highest division of the English Football League an ...
EFL Cup
The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England.
Orga ...
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
Professional Footballers' Association
The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) is the trade union for professional footballers in England and Wales.
Founded in 1907, it is the world's oldest professional sports trade union, with approximately 5,000 current members each seaso ...
Fans' Premier League Player of the Month: September 2018