Matheus Cunha

For the Brazilian football goalkeeper, see Matheus Cunha (footballer, born 2001).

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Santos Carneiroand the second or paternal family name is da Cunha.

Matheus Cunha

Cunha with RB Leipzig in 2018
Personal information
Full name	Matheus Santos Carneiro da Cunha [1]
Date of birth	(1999-05-27) 27 May 1999 (age 25) [2]
Place of birth	João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil
Height	1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) [2]
Position(s)	Forward, second striker, winger
Team information
Current team	Wolverhampton Wanderers
Number	10
Youth career
0000–2017	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–	Wolverhampton Wanderers	54	(22)
International career‡
2019–2021	Brazil U23	24	(21)
2021–	Brazil	11	(0)
Medal record Men's football Representing   Brazil Olympic Games 2020 Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:03, 25 January 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18 October 2023

Matheus Santos Carneiro da Cunha (born 27 May 1999) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers and the Brazil national team. He has also been used as a second striker or winger.

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.

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.

Early life

Cunha was born in the city of João Pessoa, Brazil. ^[3] As a child he 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

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

Cunha with Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2023

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 to give wolves their 2nd point of the season.

Cunha then scored Wolves 2nd goal in a 2-0 win over Southampton which was the teams 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.

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. ^[23] Cunha was charged with misconduct by the Football Association. ^[24] On 31 December, Cunha was given a two game ban from the FA with a fine costing £80,000 following the incident. ^[25]

International career

Under-23 team

Cunha with Brazil at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

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. ^[26] In August 2021, he won a gold medal with Brazil at the Olympics, having scored 3 goals in 5 appearances at the tournament. ^[27] Overall, Cunha scored 21 goals in 24 games for the under-23 team. ^[28]

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. ^{[29] [30]}

He 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. ^[31]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 25 January 2025 ^[32]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

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	22	10	0	0	1	0	—		—		23	10
	Total		71	24	5	2	3	0	—		—		79	26
Career total			214	54	13	5	3	0	26	6	1	0	257	65

1. Includes Swiss Cup, DFB-Pokal, Copa del Rey, FA Cup
2. Includes EFL Cup
3. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
4. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
5. Appearance in Supercopa de España

International

As of match played 18 October 2023 ^[33]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Brazil	2021	4	0
	2022	4	0
	2023	3	0
Total		11	0

Honours

Brazil U23

• Summer Olympics: 2020 ^[27]
• Toulon Tournament: 2019 ^[34]

References

1. "2023/24 Premier League squad lists". Premier League. 13 September 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
2. "Matheus Cunha: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
3. "Aos 18 anos, paraibano vira sensação do futebol suíço após se destacar pelo Coxa". globoesporte.globo.com. 10 November 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
4. "Indicado ao Puskas, Matheus Cunha faz sua campanha: "Estou chamando o Brasil inteiro pra votar"". globoesporte.globo.com. 25 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
5. "Aos 18 anos, Matheus Cunha é o artilheiro brasileiro na Suíça". globoesporte.globo.com. 22 May 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
6. "RB Leipzig's Samba speedster Matheus Cunha hot on the trail of Timo Werner". Bundesliga. 2018. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
7. "Timo Werner scores twice as RB Leipzig see off Hertha Berlin in the capital". bundesliga.com. 2018. Archived from the original on 6 June 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
8. "Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery wins Goal of the Month for May". bundesliga.com. 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
9. "Hertha Berlin Signs Matheus Cunha, Continues Spending Spree". Sports Illustrated. Associated Press. 31 January 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
10. Hernández, Carlos (25 August 2021). "Official: Atletico Madrid sign Matheus Cunha". Marca. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
11. Cummins, Jo (29 October 2021). "LEVANTE 2-2 ATLETICO MADRID: TWO ENIS BARDHI PENALTIES DENY LA LIGA CHAMPIONS AS DIEGO SIMEONE SEES RED". Eurosport. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
12. "Cunha becomes Lopetegui's first signing". Wolverhampton Wanderers. 25 December 2022. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
13. "Wolves sign Matheus Cunha on an initial loan from Atletico Madrid". BBC Sport. 26 December 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
14. Poole, Harry (4 January 2023). "Aston Villa 1–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers: Danny Ings denies Wolves in West Midlands derby". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
15. Howarth, Matthew (18 March 2023). "Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–4 Leeds United: Rare away win lifts visitors out of bottom three". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
16. Thomas, Marissa (3 September 2023). "Crystal Palace 3–2 Wolverhampton Wanderers: Odsonne Edouard scores twice as Palace beat Wolves". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
17. Stone, Simon (16 January 2024). "Wolverhampton Wanderers 3–2 Brentford: Wolves set up FA Cup tie with West Brom". BBC Sport.
18. Stone, Simon (28 January 2024). "West Brom 0–2 Wolves: Visitors progress after crowd trouble sees game suspended". BBC Sport.
19. Poole, Harry (4 February 2024). "Chelsea 2–4 Wolverhampton Wanderers: Matheus Cunha hat-trick as Wolves stun Blues". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
20. Bate, Adam (27 May 2024). "Matheus Cunha interview: Wolves forward on refinding his passion for football after clicking with Gary O'Neil". Sky Sports. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
21. "Wolves 2-6 Chelsea: Noni Madueke's hat-trick gives Enzo Maresca first Premier League win".
22. Mashiter, Nick (9 November 2024). "Wolves 2–0 Southampton: Pablo Sarabia & Matheus Cunha lift Wolves off bottom of Premier League". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
23. Madeley, Steve (15 December 2024). "Cunha's steward clash, Ait-Nouri's anger – breaking down Wolves' latest moments of madness". The Athletic. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
24. "Wolves striker Cunha charged with misconduct by FA". BBC Sport. 17 December 2024. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
25. Mashiter, Nick (31 December 2024). "Matheus Cunha: Wolverhampton Wanderers striker banned for two games". BBC Sport.
26. "Seleção Olímpica é convocada para os Jogos Olímpicos de Tóquio 2020". CBF. 17 June 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
27. "Official: Atletico Madrid sign Matheus Cunha". marca.com. 25 August 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
28. "Matheus Cunha". ogol.com.br. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
29. "Tite convoca a Seleção Brasileira para a estreia nas Eliminatórias" (in Portuguese). CBF. 18 September 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
30. "Matheus Cunha está convocado para a Seleção Brasileira" (in Portuguese). CBF. 25 September 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
31. "Chile v Brazil game report". FIFA. 2 September 2021.
32. Matheus Cunha at Soccerway. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
33. "Matheus Cunha". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
34. "Festival International Espoirs Football Tournoi Maurice Revello Toulon". festival-foot-espoirs.com.

External links

• Matheus Cunha at the Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
• Matheus Cunha – UEFA competition record ( archive ) 
• Matheus Cunha at Olympedia ( archive )
• Matheus Cunha at Olympics.com
• Matheus Cunha at the Comitê Olímpico do Brasil (in Portuguese)