Matty Virtue
English footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Matthew Joseph Virtue-Thick[3] (born 2 May 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Swindon Town. He has previously played for Liverpool, Notts County, and Fleetwood Town.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matthew Joseph Virtue-Thick[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 2 May 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | Epsom, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Swindon Town | ||
| Number | 24 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2006 | Chelsea | ||
| 2008–2017 | Liverpool | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2019 | Liverpool | 0 | (0) |
| 2018 | → Notts County (loan) | 13 | (0) |
| 2019–2024 | Blackpool | 84 | (7) |
| 2022–2023 | → Lincoln City (loan) | 30 | (3) |
| 2024–2026 | Fleetwood Town | 75 | (12) |
| 2026– | Swindon Town | 2 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 20:41, 22 September 2026 (UTC) | |||
Career
Virtue joined Liverpool at under-11 level, having played with Chelsea until the age of 9.[4] He moved on loan to Notts County in January 2018.[5]
He was named captain of Liverpool's Under-23 team in October 2018.[6] In January 2019, he signed for Blackpool.[7] He scored his first professional goal against Accrington Stanley on 5 March 2019.[8]
On 16 October 2020, Virtue signed a new two-year contract with Blackpool.[9] In December 2020 he tested positive for COVID-19 and had to self-isolate, missing matches.[10] In October 2021 he extended his contract for a further year.[11]
He moved on loan to Lincoln City on 1 September 2022.[12] He made his debut coming off the bench against Cambridge United on 3 September 2022.[13] He scored his first goal for Lincoln City against Bristol Rovers in a 6–3 win on 17 September 2022.[14] After a period injured, he returned to the Lincoln first-team.[15]
Following the conclusion of the 2023–24 season, Blackpool confirmed that Virtue would be departing the club upon the expiration of his contract.[16]
Virtue signed for Fleetwood Town on 1 July 2024.[17] On 15 May 2026, the club announced he would be leaving in the summer when his contract expired.[18]
In June 2026 it was announced that he would sign for Swindon Town on 1 July 2026.[19]
Career statistics
- As of match played 22 September 2026
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Liverpool | 2017–18[20] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018–19[8] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Notts County (loan) | 2017–18[20] | League Two | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Blackpool | 2018–19[8] | League One | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 3 |
| 2019–20[21] | League One | 24 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3[a] | 0 | 31 | 3 | |
| 2020–21[22] | League One | 16 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 20 | 2 | |
| 2021–22[23] | Championship | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2022–23[24] | Championship | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2023–24[25] | League One | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 34 | 1 | |
| Total | 84 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 104 | 9 | ||
| Lincoln City (loan) | 2022–23[24] | League One | 30 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 36 | 4 |
| Fleetwood Town | 2024–25[26] | League Two | 41 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 47 | 9 |
| 2025–26[27] | League Two | 34 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 42 | 3 | |
| Total | 75 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 89 | 12 | ||
| Swindon Town | 2026–27[28] | League Two | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Career total | 204 | 23 | 14 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 20 | 1 | 248 | 25 | ||
- Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
