Matuzalém Francelino da Silva (born 10 June 1980), commonly known as just Matuzalém, is a Brazilian
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
manager and former player, who played as a
midfielder
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
.
Club career
Early career
Matuzalém began his career at
Salvador-based
Vitória and quickly established his place in lower level of the
Brazil national team. Described as a "goalscoring midfielder" by
Eurosport
Eurosport is a group of pay television networks in Europe and parts of Asia, owned and operated by Warner Bros. Discovery through its WBD Sports unit, it operates two main channels—Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2—across most of its territorie ...
,
he first emerged in the
1997 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship, known as the 1997 FIFA/Coca-Cola World Youth Championship for sponsorship purposes, was the 11th staging of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, FIFA World Youth Championship. It was held from 16 June to 5 July 1997 i ...
in Egypt. There, he scored three goals in six games, including a critical goal in the final match.
Napoli
In 1999, Matuzalém left Vitória to join
Napoli
Naples ( ; ; ) is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its province-level municipality is the thir ...
in Italy, via
Parma
Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...
, in a temporary deal, where he remained for two seasons, the first was spent in
Serie B
The Serie B (), officially known as Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 season. It had b ...
– during which he helped the team win promotion to the Italian top flight – and the second season in
Serie A
The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...
, in what would be Napoli's last in season in the Italian top flight for six years. The club signed Matuzalém in a
co-ownership deal for 5 billion
lire in the summer of 2000.
[Parma AC SpA Report and Accounts on 30 June 2001 ] Matuzalém was a regular starter at Napoli, but only scored twice in 52 appearances during his tenure in
Naples
Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
.
Piacenza and Brescia
Following his Napoli spell, Matuzalém was bought back by Parma, subsequently reselling half of his rights to
Piacenza
Piacenza (; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Piacenza, eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with more ...
in another
co-ownership deal in the summer of 2001, for 6 billion
Lire (€3,098,741).) Matuzalém stayed at Piacenza alongside
Amauri
Amauri Carvalho de Oliveira (born 3 June 1980), known as Amauri, is an Italian former footballer who played as a striker.
His previous clubs include Bellinzona, Parma, Napoli, Piacenza, Empoli, Messina, Chievo, Palermo, Juventus, Fiorentin ...
,
Nicola Mora and
Matteo Guardalben
Matteo Guardalben (born 5 June 1974) is an Italian former professional football goalkeeper.
Club career
Guardalben was born in Nogara, Province of Verona. After five seasons with Parma, Guardalben (along with Nicola Mora and Matuzalém) joine ...
, all of which were also partly owned by Parma.
With Piacenza during
2001–02 season, the team finished 14th in the league. In the opening round of the season, Matuzalém became the first foreigner to score for Piacenza in Serie A. In June 2002, Parma reacquired all of his rights again.
The second season of the loan spell saw Matuzalém switch to
Brescia
Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Lake Garda, Garda and Lake Iseo, Iseo. With a population of 199,949, it is the se ...
on loan, where he had the opportunity to play alongside
Roberto Baggio
Roberto Baggio (; born 18 February 1967) is an Italian former professional footballer who mainly played as a second striker, or as an attacking midfielder, although he was capable of playing in several offensive positions. He is the former pr ...
. He played nearly every match and the deal was made permanent at the end of the season. However, he only lasted one more year at the club, before
Ukrainian giants
Shakhtar Donetsk
Football Club Shakhtar Donetsk () is a Ukrainian professional Association football, football club that was based in the city of Donetsk until 2014 when, due to the War in Donbas (2014–2022), War in Donbas, the club was forced to move to Lvi ...
signed him in 2004.
Shakhtar Donetsk
In June 2004, Shakhtar Donetsk signed Matuzalém from Brescia, paying Brescia €8,000,000, Matuzalém's agents €3,750,000 and €221,092 to Matuzalém's former clubs as
solidarity contribution.
It was a Ukrainian
record at the time.
After the transfer of
Anatoliy Tymoschuk to
Zenit Saint Petersburg
Football Club Zenit (, ), also known as Zenit Saint Petersburg or simply Zenit, is a Russian professional football club based in Saint Petersburg. Founded in 1925 (or in 1914, according to some Russian sources), the club plays in the Russian Pr ...
, he became the new
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
of the club for the 2006–07 season and was voted the club's Player of the Year. During his three seasons with the club, he won two league titles and scored 25 goals in 68 appearances.
On 1 July 2007,
Palermo
Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...
made an offer of US$7,000,000 for Matuzalém, but it was rejected.
[
]
Real Zaragoza and breach of contract saga
On 2 July 2007, Matuzalém notified in writing Shakhtar of the fact that he unilaterally terminated their contractual relationship with immediate effect. On 5 July, Shakhtar replied Matuzalém and/or his new club should pay the sum in the release clause of €25 million, or Shakhtar would start legal action.[ The actual phrasing in the contract, however, stated that Shakhtar would be under an obligation to release him if the new club offered to pay that amount. It was not, strictly speaking, a penalty clause.
On 18 July, however, he was presented as ]Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. (), commonly referred to as Zaragoza, is a football club based in Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, that currently competes in the Segunda División, the second tier of the Spanish football league system, Spanish league system. Zarag ...
's newest signing. Shakhtar informed Zaragoza to request the club to pay the fee.[ After played four games and scoring once, Matuzalém was reported injured since September 2007 and returned in March 2008. During his only season with the club, he featured scarcely, due to a ligament injury he sustained in September 2007; in total, he obtained 14 appearances, scoring a single goal in La Liga. Zaragoza were relegated at the end of the season.]
Matuzalém's case was considered by FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC) on 2 November 2007, which ruled Matuzalém and Zaragoza jointly and severally liable, ordering payment of €6,800,000 to Shakhtar.[ On 19 March 2008, however, Shakhtar appealed to the ]Court of Arbitration for Sport
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS; , TAS) is an international body established in 1984 to settle disputes related to sport through arbitration. Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland, and its courts are located in New York City, Sy ...
(CAS), as the club perceived the fee set by FIFA DRC as too low. On 20 March, Matuzalém and Zaragoza also made an appeal to CAS for the compensation. On 19 May 2009, the CAS ordered Matuzalém to pay €11,858,934 to Shakhtar for breach of contract. The decision was upheld by the Swiss Federal Tribunal. Zaragoza also later paid €500,000 to Shakhtar on 1 September 2010.[
Neither Matuzalém or Zaragoza were able to pay the ordered compensation. For this reason, further sanctions, including banning Matuzalém from all football-related activities, were imposed by FIFA on 31 August 2010. This FIFA decision was appealed to the CAS but was rejected on 29 June 2011. The CAS decision was appealed to the Swiss Federal Tribunal. In its decision rendered on 27 March 2012, the Swiss Federal Tribunal annulled the CAS decision, as they found the ban on Matuzalém "a severe infringement of isright to privacy". The Tribunal also questioned whether the sanction was likely to lead to the payment of the compensation, which was the stated purpose of the ban. The compensation to be paid to Shakhtar was not affected by this case. This remains the only case where a CAS decision has been overturned based on the merits of the case.][Roy Levy]
Swiss Federal Tribunal overrules CAS award in a landmark decision: FIFA vs Matuzalem
Lazio
In July 2008, Matuzalém returned to Italy after four years, joining Lazio
Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...
on a season-long loan with an option to buy at the end of the season for €13 million (plus VAT
A value-added tax (VAT or goods and services tax (GST), general consumption tax (GCT)) is a consumption tax that is levied on the value added at each stage of a product's production and distribution. VAT is similar to, and is often compared wi ...
).[ Injuries plagued his season, though when fit he established a place for himself in the centre of the Lazio midfield alongside Cristian Ledesma. He claimed some silverware as Lazio won their fifth ]Coppa Italia
Coppa Italia () is the annual domestic cup of Italian football. The knockout competition was organized by the DDS and the Lega Calcio until the 2009–10 season and by Lega Serie A ever since.
Juventus is the competition's most successf ...
, however a booking in the semi-final against Juventus
Juventus Football Club (; from , ), commonly known as Juventus or colloquially as Juve (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Turin, Piedmont, who compete in Serie A, the ...
meant he missed the final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
victory against Sampdoria
Unione Calcio Sampdoria, commonly referred to as Sampdoria (), is an Italian professional football club based in Genoa, Liguria.
Sampdoria was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the ...
. At the end of the season, Lazio exercised the option to keep him on a permanent basis, but for €5,310,000 on a five-year contract.
In the 2009 Supercoppa Italiana, he scored the opening goal in an eventual 2–1 victory over Inter
Inter may refer to:
Association football clubs
* Inter Milan, an Italian club
* SC Internacional, a Brazilian club
* Inter Miami CF, an American club
* Inter Playa del Carmen, a Mexican club
* FC Inter Sibiu, a Romanian club
* FC Inter Turku, ...
.
On 14 March 2010, Matuzalém was injured and missed the remainder of the season. He became a backup of Ledesma and Cristian Brocchi
Cristian Brocchi (; born 30 January 1976) is an Italian professional football manager and former player, actual head coach of Kings League team FC Zeta.
As a defensive midfielder, Brocchi was rated for his durability and tackling. He began his ...
in next season.
Genoa
On 3 January 2013, Matuzalém was signed by Genoa
Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...
on a temporary deal. On 24 August 2013 Matuzalém formally joined Genoa on free transfer in two-year contract.
Bologna
On 4 July 2014, Matuzalém was signed by Serie B club Bologna
Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...
in another free transfer. He was assigned number 5 shirt.
Hellas Verona
On 19 September 2015, Matuzalém signed with Serie A side Hellas Verona
Hellas Verona Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Hellas Verona (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Verona, Veneto, that currently plays in Serie A. The team won ...
. His contract with Verona was terminated on 8 January 2016. In January 2016, however, Matuzalém and Verona mutually agreed to cancel his contract with the club, after only five months with the team.
Miami FC
Matuzalém signed with Miami FC
Miami FC is an American professional association football, soccer team based in Miami, Florida that competes in the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid.
The club began play in the North American Soccer League (201 ...
of the North American Soccer League
The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to
1984. It is considered the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the ...
(NASL) on 20 January 2016. He was released on 12 May 2016.
Monterosi
Following his spell in the United States, Matuzalém returned to Italy and was assigned by Nuova Monterosi in December 2016, a Serie D
The Serie D () is the highest level of semi-professional football in Italy, and the fourth tier of the Italian national league system. It sits beneath the third and lowest fully professional league, Serie C, and feeds in to it through promotion ...
team based in Lazio, who were playing in group G at the time. He retired from professional football in June 2018 in order to pursue a coaching career.
On 27 September, he obtained his UEFA A coaching licence, which allows him to serve as a head coach of youth teams and Serie C
The Serie C (), officially known as Serie C NOW for sponsorship purposes, is the third-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie B and Serie A. The Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico (Lega Pro) is the governing ...
teams, or as an assistant coach for Serie B and Serie A sides.
International career
Although he was never capped
In sport, a cap is a player's appearance in a game at international level. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of rugby football and association football. In the e ...
for Brazil at senior level, Matuzalém represented Brazil at youth level, playing alongside Ronaldinho
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born 21 March 1980), commonly known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho () or simply Ronaldinho, is a Brazilian former professional Association football, footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or left winger. Widely reg ...
. He was a member of the Brazil U17 team that won the 1997 FIFA U-17 World Championship
The 1997 FIFA U-17 World Championship, the seventh edition of the tournament, was held in the cities of Cairo, Ismailia, Alexandria, and Port Said in Egypt from 4 to 21 September 1997. Players born after 1 January 1980 could participate in this t ...
in Brazil, and also took part at the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in Nigeria between 3 and 24 April 1999. This was the 12th edition of the tournament.
Qualification
The following 24 teams qualified for the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship.
:1.Teams tha ...
with the U20 side; in the former tournament, he played a key role in his team's success, scoring three goals in six games, including the decisive goal in the final victory.
Style of play
Described as a "classic playmaker
In association football, a playmaker is a footballer who controls the flow of the team's play, and is often involved in offensively and defensively playing Passing (association football), passing moves which lead to Goal (sport), goals, through ...
" in the Italian media, Matuzalém is an energetic offensive–minded midfielder, known in particular for his passing, creativity, and technique, as well as his tactical intelligence, which earned him the nickname "The Professor". A diminutive and hard-working left–footed player, with a slender build and significant stamina, his usual position is that of a central midfielder
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
, although he is also capable of playing as an attacking midfielder
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...
, due to his eye for goal from midfield, or as a left–sided midfielder; he has also been deployed as a defensive midfielder
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...
, a position in which he usually functioned as a deep-lying playmaker
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...
. Despite his ability, he also earned a reputation for being overly aggressive, due to his physical and tenacious playing style, and for lacking discipline on the pitch; during his time in Italy, he earned 11 red cards between Serie A and Serie B. He earned the name Matuzalém due to his maturity and precocious performances as a youngster.
Personal life
Matuzalém was hospitalised in Viterbo in March 2019, after being found in a confused state.
Honours
Shakhtar Donetsk
*Ukrainian Premier League
The Ukrainian Premier League ( ) or UPL is a professional association football league in Ukraine and the highest level of the Ukrainian football league system.
Originally known as the Vyshcha Liha ( , ) it was formed in 1991 during the 1992 in ...
: 2004–05, 2005–06
Lazio[
*]Coppa Italia
Coppa Italia () is the annual domestic cup of Italian football. The knockout competition was organized by the DDS and the Lega Calcio until the 2009–10 season and by Lega Serie A ever since.
Juventus is the competition's most successf ...
: 2008–09
*Supercoppa Italiana
The Supercoppa Italiana, also known as the Italian Super Cup, is an annual super cup tournament in Italian football. Founded in 1988 as a two-team competition, it has featured four teams since 2023 (the winners and runners-up of the previous ...
: 2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
Vitória[
*]Campeonato do Nordeste
Copa do Nordeste (English: ''Cup of the North-East''), also known as Campeonato do Nordeste (''English: Championship of the North-East'') or Copa Nordeste (English: ''Northeastern Cup'') is a Brazilian football competition among Northeastern re ...
: 1997, 1999
Brazil U17[
*]FIFA U-17 World Cup
The FIFA U-17 World Cup, founded as the FIFA U-16 World Championship, later changed to U-17 in 1991 and to its current name in 2007, is the annual world championship of association football for male players under the age of 17 organized by ''Fé ...
: 1997
Events January
* January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States.
* January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis.
* January 1 ...
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matuzalem
1980 births
Living people
Footballers from Natal, Rio Grande do Norte
Brazilian men's footballers
Brazil men's under-20 international footballers
Brazil men's youth international footballers
Brazilian expatriate men's footballers
Men's association football midfielders
Esporte Clube Vitória players
AC Bellinzona players
SSC Napoli players
Parma Calcio 1913 players
Piacenza Calcio 1919 players
SS Lazio players
Brescia Calcio players
FC Shakhtar Donetsk players
Real Zaragoza players
Genoa CFC players
Bologna FC 1909 players
Hellas Verona FC players
Miami FC players
Serie A players
Serie B players
La Liga players
North American Soccer League (2011–2017) players
Ukrainian Premier League players
Expatriate men's footballers in Italy
Expatriate men's footballers in Spain
Expatriate men's footballers in Ukraine
Expatriate men's footballers in Switzerland
Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States
Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Italy
Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Spain
Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Ukraine
Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland
21st-century Brazilian sportsmen