Matheus Cunha
Brazilian footballer (born 1999)
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Matheus Santos Carneiro da Cunha (Brazilian Portuguese: [maˈtews ˈkũ.ɲɐ], born 27 May 1999) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward, attacking midfielder, or winger for Premier League club Manchester United and the Brazil national team.
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Cunha with Brazil at the 2026 FIFA World Cup | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Matheus Santos Carneiro da Cunha[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 27 May 1999[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Positions | |||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Manchester United | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 10 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| –2017 | Coritiba | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Sion | 29 | (10) | ||||||||||||||
| 2018–2020 | RB Leipzig | 35 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | Hertha BSC | 39 | (12) | ||||||||||||||
| 2021–2023 | Atlético Madrid | 40 | (6) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023 | → Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) | 17 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023–2025 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 65 | (27) | ||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Manchester United | 33 | (10) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| Brazil U23 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2021– | Brazil | 26 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 14:43, 17 May 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 00:02, 25 June 2026 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||
Cunha played youth football in Brazil for Coritiba. At the age of 18, he moved to Europe to join Swiss club Sion. He then played for Bundesliga clubs RB Leipzig and Hertha BSC, before joining Atlético Madrid in August 2021. In January 2023, he moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers, initially on loan. In August 2025, he was signed by Manchester United for a transfer fee of £62.5 million.
Cunha won a gold medal with the Brazil under-23 team at the 2020 Summer Olympics. He made his senior international debut in September 2021, and represented Brazil at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Early life
Cunha was born in the city of João Pessoa, Brazil.[3] He originally played futsal for a club in Recife, before switching to football.[4]
Club career
Sion
Cunha played youth football for Coritiba, before joining Swiss club Sion at the age of 18 in July 2017, after impressing scouts at the Dallas Cup youth tournament.[3] In May 2018, he scored a hat-trick in a 4–1 victory over Thun.[5]
RB Leipzig
_20180920_Fussball,_UEFA_Europa_League,_RB_Leipzig_-_FC_Salzburg_by_Stepro_StP_7968_(cropped).jpg)
On 24 June 2018, Cunha joined Bundesliga club RB Leipzig on a five-year deal.[6] He scored his maiden Bundesliga goal against his future club Hertha BSC, to mark a 3–0 win in November 2018.[7] He scored a goal against Bayer Leverkusen in April 2019 that won the Bundesliga Goal of the Month award,[8] and was nominated for the FIFA Puskás Award.[4] He finished the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League season with 6 goals.
Hertha BSC
On 31 January 2020, having played 10 games mostly as a substitute and scored once for RB Leipzig in the first half of the season, Cunha moved to fellow Bundesliga team Hertha BSC on an undisclosed "long-term" contract.[9]
Atlético Madrid
On 25 August 2021, Cunha joined Atlético Madrid on a five-year deal for an estimated fee of €30 million.[10] He scored his first goal against Levante to seal a 2–2 draw.[11]
Wolverhampton Wanderers
_Wolves_vs_West_Ham_United_Full_Time.jpg)
On 1 January 2023, Cunha joined Wolverhampton Wanderers on loan for the remainder of the 2022–23 season,[12] in a deal which stipulated the move would become permanent in the summer of 2023, certain clauses in the loan agreement having been met.[13] Cunha's first appearance was as a second-half substitute in a 1–1 draw away to Aston Villa on 4 January.[14] His first goal for Wolves came in a 4–2 defeat at home to Leeds United on 18 March.[15]
Cunha's first goal of the 2023–24 Premier League season came in a 3–2 defeat away to Crystal Palace on 3 September 2023.[16] He scored his first FA Cup goal, a penalty, in extra-time of a 3–2 Third Round replay victory over Brentford at Molineux on 16 January 2024.[17] He scored again in the next round against Wolves' bitterest rivals, West Bromwich Albion, in a 2–0 victory at The Hawthorns on 28 January, a goal that led to crowd unrest breaking out in sections of the ground designated for West Brom supporters.[18] On 4 February, he scored his first Wolves hat-trick in a 4–2 away victory against Chelsea, becoming just the second Wolves player (after Diogo Jota in January 2019) to score a hat-trick in the Premier League and only the fourth opposition player to score a hat-trick at Stamford Bridge in Premier League history.[19] He scored 14 goals over the season.[20]
Cunha scored his first goal of the 2024–25 season in a 6–2 home defeat to Chelsea.[21] Cunha also scored in defeats to Aston Villa and Brentford before he scored a late equaliser against Brighton & Hove Albion to give Wolves their second point of the season.
Cunha then scored Wolves' second goal in a 2–0 win over Southampton which was the team's first win of the season.[22] Two weeks later Cunha scored a brace in a 4–1 win over Fulham to lift the team out of the relegation zone.[23]
On 14 December, in a 2–1 home loss to Ipswich Town in the last game before Gary O'Neil's dismissal, Cunha appeared to elbow an employee of the visiting club in the back of the head, before reaching to the same man's face and pulling his glasses off.[24] Cunha was charged with misconduct by the Football Association.[25] On 31 December, Cunha was given a two game ban from the FA with a fine of £80,000 following the incident.[26] On 1 February 2025, he extended his contract with the club until 2029 shortly after he scored in Wolves' 2–0 victory over Aston Villa.[27] Cunha finished the 2024–25 season with 15 league goals, marking a personal best and ranking as his club's highest scorer.[28]
Manchester United
On 1 June 2025, fellow Premier League club Manchester United announced an agreement with Wolves for the transfer of Cunha.[29] On 12 June 2025, United completed the transfer for a reported fee of £62.5m.[30][31] On 17 August, he made his debut for the club in a 1–0 loss against Arsenal in the league.[32]
On 27 August 2025, during the second round of the EFL Cup against League Two side Grimsby Town, Cunha missed the winning penalty during a penalty shootout, which would have sent United into the third round of the EFL Cup, but after fellow new United signing Bryan Mbeumo also missed his penalty, United lost.[33] Later that year, on 25 October, he netted his first goal for the club in a 4–2 win over Brighton scoring from outside the box with a low shot.[34] On 25 January 2026, he scored the winning goal in a 3–2 away win over Arsenal, securing his club's first league win at the Emirates Stadium since December 2017.[35]
International career
Under-23 team
With Brazil's under-23 team, Cunha was the top scorer of the 2019 Toulon Tournament and the 2020 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament, winning the former and finishing as runner-up in the latter, thus securing qualification to the Olympics for the Brazil team with the latter performance. On 17 June 2021, he was named in Brazil's squad for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.[36] In August 2021, he won a gold medal with Brazil at the Olympics, having scored 3 goals in 5 appearances at the tournament.[37]
Senior team
In September 2020, Cunha was called up to the senior Brazil squad for 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Bolivia and Peru on 9 and 13 October 2020, respectively.[38][39]
Cunha made his debut for the senior national team on 2 September 2021, in a World Cup qualifier against Chile, a 1–0 away victory. He substituted Gabriel Barbosa in the 78th minute.[40]
He scored his first international goal for Brazil on 25 March 2025, in a 4–1 away defeat to Argentina.[41]
In May 2026, Cunha was selected for Brazil's squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[42] In Brazil's second group match on 19 June, he scored twice in a 3–0 victory over Haiti.[43]
Player profile
Style of play
Cunha is a versatile forward capable of playing as a central striker, attacking midfielder, or inside forward. His playing style is characterized by ball-carrying ability, movement, and long-range shooting accuracy. His primary strengths lie in transitioning play, dribbling in tight spaces, and recording both goals and assists.[44][45][46][47][48]
However, his playing style is also noted for being highly instinctive and emotional, sometimes lacking tactical discipline. Cunha has described himself as a "maverick" who prefers freedom over structure. Despite not being known for his work rate, he has demonstrated impressive defensive ability, particularly in ball recoveries and interceptions.[46][49]
Goal celebration
Cunha is known for his surfing-themed goal celebration, in which he bends his knees and extends his arms to imitate balancing on a surfboard.[50] He performed the celebration after scoring the winning goal for Wolverhampton Wanderers in a 1–0 away victory over AFC Bournemouth on 22 February 2025.[51][52] Cunha later explained that the gesture was inspired by surfing lessons he took in a small village (Baía Formosa, RN - also the homeland of Olympic gold medalist surfer Ítalo Ferreira, who became Cunha's friend) near his hometown in Brazil, after which he began to consider himself a surfer.[53] The celebration subsequently became one of his recognisable trademarks at Manchester United.[54]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 17 May 2026[55]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sion | 2017–18 | Swiss Super League | 29 | 10 | 1 | 0 | — | 2[c] | 0 | — | 32 | 10 | ||
| RB Leipzig | 2018–19 | Bundesliga | 25 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | 12[c] | 6 | — | 39 | 9 | ||
| 2019–20 | Bundesliga | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 2[d] | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | |||
| Total | 35 | 2 | 3 | 1 | — | 14 | 6 | — | 52 | 9 | ||||
| Hertha BSC | 2019–20 | Bundesliga | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 11 | 5 | |||
| 2020–21 | Bundesliga | 27 | 7 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 28 | 8 | ||||
| 2021–22 | Bundesliga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 39 | 12 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 40 | 13 | |||||
| Atlético Madrid | 2021–22 | La Liga | 29 | 6 | 2 | 1 | — | 5[d] | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 37 | 7 | |
| 2022–23 | La Liga | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 5[d] | 0 | — | 17 | 0 | |||
| Total | 40 | 6 | 3 | 1 | — | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 54 | 7 | |||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) | 2022–23 | Premier League | 17 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 2 | ||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2023–24 | Premier League | 32 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 14 | ||
| 2024–25 | Premier League | 33 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 17 | |||
| Wolves total | 82 | 29 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 92 | 33 | ||||
| Manchester United | 2025–26 | Premier League | 33 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 35 | 10 | ||
| Career total | 258 | 69 | 16 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 26 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 305 | 82 | ||
- Includes Swiss Cup, DFB-Pokal, Copa del Rey, FA Cup
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- Appearance in Supercopa de España
International
- As of match played 24 June 2026[56]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 2021 | 4 | 0 |
| 2022 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2026 | 7 | 3 | |
| Total | 26 | 4 | |
- As of match played 24 June 2026
- Brazil score listed first, score column indicates score after each Cunha goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 March 2025 | Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires, Argentina | 13 |  Argentina | 1–2 | 1–4 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 19 June 2026 | Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, United States | 25 |  Haiti | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup |
| 3 | 2–0 | ||||||
| 4 | 24 June 2026 | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, United States | 26 |  Scotland | 3–0 | 3–0 |
