Matteo Waem

Matteo Waem (born 21 June 2000) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Eerste Divisie club MVV Maastricht.

Matteo Waem
Personal information
Date of birth (2000-06-21) 21 June 2000
Place of birth Merksem, Belgium[1]
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)[2]
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 MVV
Number 4
Youth career
2005–2006 Seja
2006–2016 Antwerp
2016–2017 Westerlo
2017–2020 Antwerp
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020– MVV 69 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15:47, 15 January 2023 (UTC)

Career

Early years

Waem grew up in Merksem, a suburb of Antwerp, and took his first steps in football at the age of five at Seja, a regional football club.[3] At the age of six he joined the Royal Antwerp academy, where he played until 2020.[3] During this period, he also had a short stint at Westerlo for a year before resuming his career at Antwerp. During the 2019–20 season, he was on a trial practice at English EFL Championship club Birmingham City[4] and succeeded in convincing them to a transfer.[5] Due to external factors, however, the deal fell through.[3]

MVV

In June 2020, Waem signed with Dutch Eerste Divisie club MVV.[6] He made his professional debut on 5 September 2020 in a 7–1 home loss to Cambuur, replacing Koen Kostons in the 84th minute.[7]

Waem was appointed team captain of MVV ahead of the 2022–23 season.[8]

Personal life

Waem has described his younger brother Andreas as his main inspiration.[3] His brother has autism, something Waem has mentioned as the reason for him studying psychology next to his career as a professional footballer.[8]

Career statistics
As of match played 13 January 2023[9]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
MVV Maastricht 2020–21 Eerste Divisie 19000—190
2021–22 Eerste Divisie 34020—360
2022–23 Eerste Divisie 16010—170
Career total 6903000720

    References
    1. De Munter, Kevin (25 November 2020). "Merksemnaar Matteo Waem (ex-Antwerp) ligt op schema bij MVV Maastricht: "Beste keuze voor mijn carrière"". Het Laatste Nieuws (in Flemish). Retrieved 15 January 2023.
    2. "M. Waem – Profiel". Voetbal International. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
    3. "Talentscout – Matteo Waem". Keuken Kampioen Divisie (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
    4. "Antwerp-belofte op proef bij Engelse traditieclub". Gazet van Antwerpen (in Flemish). 23 November 2019. Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
    5. Visser, Emil (8 January 2021). "MVV-verdediger Matteo Waem: 'Door mijn broertje ben ik zo ver gekomen'". De Limburger (in Flemish). Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
    6. Lux, Kevin (4 September 2020). "Verdediger Waem (20) op amateurbasis naar MVV". 1limburg (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
    7. "SC Cambuur boekt historische uitoverwinning". SC Cambuur (in Dutch). 5 September 2020. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
    8. Sporken, Rob (10 December 2022). "Door psychologie te studeren hoopt MVV-aanvoerder Matteo Waem ook beter te begrijpen hoe zijn autistische broertje redeneert". De Limburger (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
    9. Matteo Waem at Soccerway. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
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