| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matias Antonini Lui | ||
| Date of birth | 9 April 1998 | ||
| Place of birth | Porto Alegre, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Catanzaro | ||
| Number | 4 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Grêmio | |||
| Meda | |||
| 2015–2016 | Inter Milan | ||
| 2016–2018 | Cagliari | ||
| 2018–2020 | Grêmio | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020 | Arezzo | 0 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | NibionnOggiono | 29 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | Ravenna | 36 | (6) |
| 2022–2024 | Taranto | 57 | (7) |
| 2024– | Catanzaro | 28 | (3) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20 February 2025 | |||
Matias Antonini Lui (born 9 April 1998) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Serie B club Catanzaro.
Antonini started his career as part of the youth system of Grêmio before moving to Italy to join amateur club Meda. [1] He was subsequently scouted by Inter Milan who signed him for their youth teams. [1] After a few appearances with friendly games for Inter, Antonini left the Nerazzurri for Cagliari, joining the Under-19 Primavera team; [2] he shortly thereafter made his professional first team debut in a 2016–17 Coppa Italia game against Sampdoria ended in a 0–3 away loss, on what turned to be his only senior appearance with the Sardinian club. [3] Despite having served as team captain for the Under-19 team of Cagliari, he was released in July 2018 and then left to move back to Brazil, re-joining Grêmio. [4]
In February 2020, Antonini returned to Italy, joining Serie C club Arezzo. [5]
After failing to make any appearances for Arezzo, he left the Tuscan club to join Serie D club NibionnOggiono, with whom he finally managed to play as a regular.
His impressive performances won him the interest of the ambitious Serie D club Ravenna, who signed him in July 2021. [6]
In July 2022, Antonini signed for Serie C club Taranto. [7] He quickly affirmed himself as a staple for the Apulians, playing as a regular and being praised for his performances, which gained him a contract extension until 30 June 2025. [8] In the 2023–24 Serie C season, Antonini established himself as one of the best defenders in the league, as well as a prolific goalscorer (with four goals in his first sixteen games), [9] and then being linked to higher division clubs and praised by his manager Ezio Capuano as player with Serie A potential. [10]
Antonini, therefore, experienced the best seasons of his career in Taranto, revealing himself to be a key player for the rossoblù.
On 21 January 2024, Antonini joined Serie B side Catanzaro for an undisclosed fee, signing a contract until June 2027. [11] [12]
Antonini was born and raised in Brazil to a father of Austrian origins and a mother of Italian ancestry. [5]
He also holds Italian citizenship through jus sanguinis. [13]