| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matthew Ben Longstaff [1] | ||
| Date of birth | 21 March 2000 [1] | ||
| Place of birth | Rotherham, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) [2] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Toronto FC | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2019 | Newcastle United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2023 | Newcastle United | 14 | (2) |
| 2021 | → Aberdeen (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2022 | → Mansfield Town (loan) | 16 | (6) |
| 2022–2023 | → Colchester United (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2024– | Toronto FC | 36 | (2) |
| International career | |||
| 2019 | England U20 | 2 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22 March 2025 | |||
Matthew Ben Longstaff (born 21 March 2000) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club Toronto FC.
Longstaff made his first-team debut for Newcastle United on 28 August 2019, starting against Leicester City in the EFL Cup. [3] He scored in the 72nd minute of his Premier League debut, in a 1–0 win against Manchester United on 6 October. [4] [5] The powerful strike from outside the box was later voted as Premier League Goal of the Month. [6] He then went on to score in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford, the opening goal in a 4–1 defeat. [7]
Following the expiration of his contract at the end of the 2019–20 season, Longstaff signed a new two-year contract with Newcastle United on 22 August 2020. [8] In announcing their retained list for the 2023/24 season, Newcastle United released Longstaff at the end of his contract. However, the club continued to ensure he received treatment on his anterior cruciate ligament injury, which Longstaff suffered in December 2022. [9]
On 27 August 2021, Longstaff joined Scottish club Aberdeen on a season-long loan. [10]
On 26 December 2021, Longstaff was recalled early by his parent club Newcastle United, having only featured five times for Aberdeen. [11]
On 31 January 2022, Longstaff joined EFL League Two side Mansfield Town on loan for the remainder of the season. [12]
On 1 September 2022, Longstaff joined EFL League Two side Colchester United on a short-term loan. He returned to Newcastle on 1 January 2023 following a knee injury. [13]
On 29 February 2024, Major League Soccer club Toronto FC announced the signing of Longstaff as a free agent on a two-year contract, with an option for an additional year. [14] On 5 May he scored his first goal for Toronto against FC Dallas.
On 8 November 2019, Longstaff received his first international call up to the England U20 side. [15] He made his debut as a substitute during a 4–0 win over Portugal on 14 November 2019. [16]
Longstaff was born in Rotherham, South Yorkshire [17] and raised in North Shields, Tyne and Wear. [18] Longstaff went to school at John Spence Community High School. Longstaff was a boyhood Newcastle United supporter and his older brother Sean is a footballer for Newcastle United. [18] Their father David is a former Great Britain ice hockey player, who featured over 100 times for the national side, and is still active as coach for the Whitley Warriors. [19] David is the cousin of former England international Alan Thompson. [20]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Newcastle United U23 | 2018–19 [21] | — | — | — | 5 [a] | 1 | 5 | 1 | ||||
| Newcastle United | 2019–20 [22] | Premier League | 9 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 15 | 3 | |
| 2020–21 [23] | Premier League | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 [24] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 [25] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 14 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 3 | ||
| Aberdeen (loan) | 2021–22 [24] | Scottish Premiership | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Mansfield Town (loan) | 2021–22 [24] | League Two | 16 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 6 |
| Colchester United (loan) | 2022–23 [25] | League Two | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 [a] | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Toronto FC | 2024 [1] | Major League Soccer | 32 | 2 | 5 | 1 | — | 3 [b] | 0 | 40 | 3 | |
| 2025 [1] | Major League Soccer | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| Total | 36 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 44 | 3 | ||
| Career total | 78 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 100 | 12 | ||
Individual