Clinton Mukoni Mata Pedro Lourenço (born 7 November 1992) is a professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Ligue 1 club Lyon.[2] Born in Belgium, he played for the Angola national team, having made eight appearances.
.jpg) Mata with Club Brugge | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Clinton Mukoni Mata Pedro Lourenço[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 7 November 1992 | ||
| Place of birth | Verviers, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Right-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Lyon | ||
| Number | 22 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2003 | Royal Battice | ||
| 2003–2004 | Entente Rechaintoise | ||
| 2004 | Royal Battice | ||
| 2004–2008 | Etoile Elsautoise | ||
| 2008–2010 | Visé | ||
| 2010–2011 | Eupen | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2011–2014 | Eupen | 62 | (2) |
| 2014–2018 | Charleroi | 82 | (1) |
| 2017–2018 | → Genk (loan) | 25 | (0) |
| 2018–2023 | Club Brugge | 151 | (5) |
| 2023– | Lyon | 36 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2014– | Angola | 8 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10 November 2024 | |||
Club career
editEarly years
editBorn in Verviers, Belgium, Mata started playing football with local clubs Royal Battice, Entente Rechaintoise, Etoile Elsautoise and Visé before moving to Eupen in 2010.[3][4] On 17 February 2012, he made his professional debut in a 2–1 win over Waasland-Beveren in the Belgian Second Division.[5] Afterwards, Mata was not always in the starting eleven, first winning a regular place in the starting lineup in the second half of the 2013–14 season, where Eupen qualified as runner-up for the final round for promotion to the first Belgian league. This ended in a disappointing 2–1 defeat to OH Leuven.[6]
Charleroi
editIn the summer of 2014, Mata moved to Belgian First Division A club Charleroi,[7] where he was mainly a substitute as before in Eupen, before coming closer to a regular starting spot in the second half of the 2015–16 season. As group winners in play-off 2, Charleroi qualified for the play-off for participation in the final for qualifying for the UEFA Europa League. In the playoff match, Mata and his club beat Kortrijk,[8] but lost in the final Europa League play-off match against Genk. The following season marked the breakthrough of Mata for Charleroi, and in August 2017 he moved to Genk on loan.[9] Mata was part of the team qualifying for the UEFA Europa League after Zulte Waregem were beaten 2–0 in the decisive play-off game.[10]
Club Brugge
editMata then joined the defending Belgian champions, Club Brugge, but only made his debut on the ninth matchday in the derby against Cercle Brugge due to an injury.[11] Mata evolved into a starter for the club during his first season, where they finished runner-up in the league. He was also utilised in Club Brugge's UEFA Champions League campaign. In the following season, Mata had experienced his breakthrough when he played almost every game and won the Belgian championship with Club Brugge after the COVID-19 pandemic had resulted in the season being abandoned.[12]
Lyon
editOn 6 July 2023, Mata signed for Ligue 1 club Lyon on a three-year contract. The transfer fee was a reported €5 million.[13]
International career
editIn July 2014 Mata was asked to switch his international allegiance to Angola.[14] He made his debut for the Angola national team later that year,[2] earning 8 caps over two years.[15]
Belgium national team manager Roberto Martínez said he had been particularly impressed by Mata, and had regretted learning of his choice for Angola; Mata stated that he had no regrets playing for Angola.[16][17]
In June 2024, Mata returned to the Angolan national team.[18]
Career statistics
editClub
edit- As of match played 10 November 2024[1]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Eupen | 2010–11 | Belgian Second Division | 11 | 0 | – | – | – | 11 | 0 | |||
| 2011–12 | Belgian Second Division | 0 | 0 | – | – | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2012–13 | Belgian Second Division | 26 | 0 | – | – | – | 36 | 1 | ||||
| 2013–14 | Belgian Second Division | 26 | 2 | 1 | 0 | – | 6 | 0 | 33 | 2 | ||
| Total | 62 | 2 | 1 | 0 | – | 8 | 0 | 71 | 2 | |||
| Charleroi | 2014–15 | Belgian Pro League | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 21 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | Belgian Pro League | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 27 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | Belgian Pro League | 36 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 38 | 1 | |||
| 2017–18 | Belgian Pro League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 | |||
| Total | 82 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 87 | 1 | |||
| Genk (loan) | 2017–18 | Belgian Pro League | 25 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 29 | 0 | |
| Club Brugge | 2018–19 | Belgian Pro League | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4[b] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 2 |
| 2019–20 | Belgian Pro League | 25 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 10[c] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 0 | |
| 2020–21 | Belgian Pro League | 39 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8[d] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 49 | 1 | |
| 2021–22 | Belgian Pro League | 38 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 6[b] | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 50 | 1 | |
| 2022–23 | Belgian Pro League | 25 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3[b] | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 30 | 1 | |
| Total | 151 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 31 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 197 | 5 | ||
| Lyon | 2023–24 | Ligue 1 | 28 | 0 | 5 | 0 | – | – | 33 | 0 | ||
| 2024–25 | Ligue 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4[f] | 0 | – | 12 | 0 | ||
| Total | 36 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | 45 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 356 | 8 | 29 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 430 | 8 | ||
- ^ Includes Belgian Cup, Coupe de France
- ^ a b c Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- ^ Eight appearances in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League
- ^ Six appearances in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League
- ^ a b Appearance in Belgian Super Cup
- ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
International
edit| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angola | 2014 | 3 | 0 |
| 2015 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 8 | 0 | |
Honours
editClub Brugge
Lyon
- Coupe de France runner-up: 2023–24[23]
References
edit- ^ a b c Clinton Mata at Soccerway. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
- ^ a b "Clinton Mata". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
- ^ Taecke, Tomas; Dekeyser, Frank (4 April 2019). "Mata: ooit dicht bij Anderlecht, nu gelukkig bij jeugdliefde Club". Het Laatste Nieuws (in Dutch).
- ^ "Clinton Mata weet waar hij na Club Brugge naartoe wil - Voetbalbelgie.be". Voetbal België (in Flemish). 20 April 2019.
- ^ "AS Eupen vs. Waasland-Beveren - 17 February 2012 - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
- ^ Delvaux, Maarten (22 May 2014). "Moeskroen-Péruwelz promoveert dankzij OHL naar eerste klasse". Het Nieuwsblad (in Flemish).
- ^ Naïli, Ilian (19 June 2014). "Clinton Mata: "Charleroi est un club familial"". Walfoot.be (in French).
- ^ "KV Kortrijk maakt zich op voor 'finale' tegen Charleroi". Het Nieuwsblad (in Flemish). 29 April 2014.
- ^ "Officiel : Clinton Mata prêté une saison à Genk sans option d'achat". RTBF Sport (in French). 11 August 2017.
- ^ "IJzersterk Genk speelt Zulte Waregem van de mat in finale Play-offs en mag volgend jaar Europa in". Het Nieuwsblad (in Flemish). 27 May 2018.
- ^ Maebe, Guillaume (29 September 2018). "Club Brugge heeft niet één, maar twee geheime wapens tegen Atlético in Champions League". www.nieuwsblad.be (in Flemish).
- ^ "Club Brugge wint kampioenenmatch voor 16e titel toepasselijk met 16-0". sporza.be (in Dutch). 17 May 2020.
- ^ "Transferts : Clinton Mata rejoint l'OL (officiel)". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 8 July 2023.
- ^ Mark Gleeson (26 July 2014). "Angola extend their pool of talent ahead of Afcon qualifiers". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
- ^ "Lyon : Clinton Mata, cet international angolais très particulier..." afrik-foot.com (in French). 5 July 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
- ^ J. Dk (30 November 2016). "Le Carolo Clinton Mata: 'Ce que Roberto Martinez a dit sur moi, c'est très flatteur'". L'avenir.net (in French). Retrieved 8 January 2020.
- ^ Erik Libois (31 March 2017). "Clinton Mata : 'On ne sera pas les clowns des play-offs'". RTBF Sports (in French). Retrieved 8 January 2020.
- ^ Rédaction, La (16 June 2024). "Six ans plus tard, Clinton Mata retrouve la sélection angolaise". DHnet (in French). Retrieved 17 June 2024.
- ^ "Club Brugge awarded Belgian Pro League title as season ended early". Sky Sports. 15 May 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- ^ "Lang nets as Club Brugge seal Belgian title". Football Oranje. 20 May 2021.
- ^ "Club Brugge vs. Gent 3-2". Soccerway. 17 July 2021.
- ^ Oludare, Shine (17 July 2022). "Odoi, Sowah, Mata and Mbamba win Belgian Super Cup with Club Brugge". Goal. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
- ^ "PSG beat Lyon 2-1 to win French Cup final in Mbappe's farewell appearance". Reuters. 25 May 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
External links
edit
- Clinton Mata at Soccerway
- Clinton Mata at National-Football-Teams.com
- Clinton Mata – UEFA competition record (archive)
