| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matthew Baker [1] | ||
| Date of birth | 6 February 2003 | ||
| Place of birth | Kent, England | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) [2] | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Newport County | ||
| Number | 4 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2011–2021 | Gillingham | ||
| 2021–2022 | Stoke City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022–2024 | Stoke City | 0 | (0) |
| 2023 | → Newport County (loan) | 18 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | → Newport County (loan) | 32 | (0) |
| 2024– | Newport County | 27 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| Wales U17 | |||
| Wales U19 | |||
| 2023– | Wales U21 | 8 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:29, 22 February 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18:10, 15 October 2024 (UTC) | |||
Matthew Baker (born 6 February 2003) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for EFL League Two club Newport County [3] and the Wales under-21 national team.
Baker progressed through the Gillingham youth system and signed for Stoke City in June 2021. [4] [5] He moved on loan to Newport County in January 2023 for the remainder of the 2022–23 season. [6] [7] [8] [9] He made his Football League debut for Newport on 14 February 2023 in the League Two 2–2 draw against Stevenage. [10] Baker made 18 appearances for Newport helping them finish in 15th position. [11] In September 2023 Baker re-joined Newport County on loan for the 2023–24 season. [12] Baker made 39 appearances for the Exiles as they finished in 18th position. [13] [14] In May 2024, Stoke City offered Baker a contract extension. [15]
On 1 July 2024, Baker returned to Newport County on a permanent two-year deal after both clubs had reached a compensation agreement. [16] [17] Baker scored his first goal for Newport on 17 August 2024 in the 3-1 EFL League Two win against Doncaster Rovers. [18]
Baker is from Kent and qualifies for Wales through his mother who was born in Narberth, Pembrokeshire. [19] He is a Wales youth international and captained them at under-19 level. [20] On 26 March 2023 Baker made his Wales under-21 debut in the starting line-up for the 3–0 friendly match win against Scotland under-21 in Spain. [21] He later became under-21 captain. [17]
In June 2024 Baker was called up to the Wales senior squad for the first time. [22]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Stoke City | 2022–23 [11] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| 2023–24 [13] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Newport County (loan) | 2022–23 [11] | League Two | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Newport County (loan) | 2023–24 [13] | League Two | 32 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 [a] | 0 | 39 | 0 |
| Newport County | 2024–25 [23] | League Two | 27 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 [a] | 0 | 32 | 3 |
| Career total | 77 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 89 | 3 | ||