Matthijs de Ligt Childhood Story Plus Untold Biography Facts

Matthijs de Ligt Childhood Story Plus Untold Biography Facts

LifeBogger presents the Full Story of a Dutch Football Genius best known by the nickname The Total Defender“.

Our Matthijs de Ligt Childhood Story and his Untold Biography Facts bring to you a full account of notable events from his childhood time to date.

The analysis involves his early life, family background, life story before fame, rise to fame story, relationship, and personal life.

Yes, everyone knows he is among the brightest defenders in the world. However, only a few consider Matthijs de Ligt’s Biography, which is quite interesting. Now, without further ado, let’s Begin.

Matthijs de Ligt Childhood Story – Early Life and Family Background:

Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt was born on the 12th day of August 1999 to his mother, Vivian de Ligt, and father, Frank de Ligt, in Leiderdorp, a town and municipality in the western Netherlands.

This is where de Ligt spent his childhood years.
This is where de Ligt spent his childhood years.

Shortly after his birth, Matthijs de Ligt’s parents moved to Abcoude, a town just south of Amsterdam.

Aside from getting better economic opportunities, both parents, including their offspring, developed a deep love for the Ajax football team.

Matthijs de Ligt came as their firstborn child and son to his parents, Vivian and Frank.

Later in his early childhood life, his mum had other siblings, a set of twins named Fleur and Wouter. Altogether, to date, it makes up the happy members of Ligt’s family.

Introducing the family members of Matthijs de Ligt.
Introducing the family members of Matthijs de Ligt.

Matthijs de Ligt had always led the way as a big brother early on. His little sibling, Wouter, had always felt lucky enough to have a big brother with whom he had shared a bond – right from their childhood days.

Back then, the de Ligt brothers formed the habit of never allowing each other to wander in the dark alone.

Also, back then, If Ajax played and scored, both boys would all run screaming through their living room.

Part of their leisure activity involves their parents taking them on a stroll to Ajax Stadium (Johan Cruijff Arena) during weekdays.

On a personal note, Matthijs was regarded as someone who would always look out for his twin siblings and was never afraid to face bullies in school.

According to AjaxShowTime, one of Matthijs’ teachers once said;

If someone in his class or his sibling gets bullied, Matthijs would not do what most people would do …That is”run away”. Instead, he would stand in for the bullied.

Matthijs de Ligt Biography – Early Career Life:

Did You Know?…  Matthijs never saw a career in football as the route to his destiny.

Actually, his first sporting success came with a ball in his hands rather than his feet.

At the age of five, young Matthijs, pictured below, started playing tennis (similar to Charles De Ketelaere), which he did very well.

How his Football Journey Began:

Despite being a tennis player, Matthijs had difficulty settling into his career. This was a time he sought other alternatives.

Luckily for him, someday, he got introduced to football by his friend, who invited him for training. Just immediately after the training, Matthijs started playing football.

It took about a year for him to settle into the new sport. This was a time he successfully enrolled on the roster of his local youth team, FC Abcoude, which gave him the stage to showcase his talent further.

Back then, Matthijs would always have his little brother Wouter accompany him to club activities.

Young Matthijs de Ligt bonding with his teammates.
Young Matthijs de Ligt bonding with his teammates.

While with FC Abcoude, he possessed a steely determination and focused on a new dream of becoming a pro.

Truly, his ambitions were followed by hard work and weren’t just a passing fancy. Matthijs played for FC Abcoude for three more years, a time he polished his skills and kept aiming higher.

Matthijs de Ligt Biography Facts – The Recognition:

At the age of 9, Matthijs de Ligt (similar to Jurrien Timber and Sven Botman) was already being scouted by Ajax scouts who had an interest in him for two reasons.

First, he was the best player of his age. Secondly, it was because of his impressive growth, which was stable and met their requirements at first.

However, as time went on, doubts by Ajax scouts began to linger. They feared that Matthijs de Ligt was becoming heavier at a rate that might seem unfriendly to the sport.

However, they took the risk as they saw that he still had talent in him.

The Ajax Suarez Encounter:

De Ligt finally had a successful trial at Jong Ajax, also referred to as Ajax II or Ajax 2 (the reserve team of Ajax).

At Ajax, Matthijs became this humble and withdrawn boy whose ability to deal with fame became directly proportional to the way he handled the ball.

According to an interview, the most memorable moment was meeting Luis Suarez. Young Matthijs de Ligt met Suarez when the Legend was still at Ajax II.

Did You Know?… In 2017, Ajax made a terrible mistake in one of its social media publications. It was a mistake that provoked some of its fans via its official Facebook channel.

The Dutch club used the words Next year, together in one team” to describe the photo of Matthijs de Ligt and Luis Suarez, who played in Barcelona at that time.

Many Ajax fans found it very unprofessional of the club to refer to transfers in such a way. Perhaps a reason why the club never sold Matthijs de Ligt to Barca in 2018, all in a bid to avoid court troubles.

Matthijs de Ligt Biography – Road to Fame Story:

Matthijs de Ligt was the youngest and the quickest to rise above all youth ranks, which led to a promotion to senior football just as he approached 17. This happened after he won multiple awards as a youth footballer.

Did You Know?…  As a 15-year-old, Matthijs de Ligt won the award for player of the tournament at a tournament for U17s and also in a tournament for U19s.

That was when fans knew he was going to be a great player. Fast-forward to a year later, he got himself promoted to the Ajax senior team.

Matthijs de Ligt made his successful debut match against FC Emmen on August 8, 2016. This was the day he announced himself to Ajax fans by scoring and making a power slam gesture.

That surely sunk into the memory of Ajax fans. Matthijs de Ligt after the match was awarded as the second youngest goalscorer behind Clarence Seedorf.

Matthijs de Ligt Bio – Rise to Fame Story:

Things started moving quickly in his first season of professional football, which saw his meteoric development.

Matthijs de Ligt bonded well with former Columbian teammate Davinson Sánchez to provide great defensive cover for Ajax.

This Led his team to the Europa Team finals. Guiding his team to reach the finals at the tender age of 17 surely brought praise from all angles.

Matthijs de Ligt, in a similar fashion to Ruben Neves, became the youngest player ever to play in a European final in a squad with an average age under 23.

The maturity he displayed both in the press conference and in the face of a Manchester United challenge was surely priceless for a 17-year-old.

Matthijs de Ligt’s personal life brands and popularity gave more boost to other Ajax young stars, notably among them Kasper Dolgberg and Frenkie de Jong.

Matthijs de Ligt’s continuous bravery, courage, and connection with Ajax fans led him to pass the captaincy requirements for his Ajax team.

The video below proved his leadership potential, which paved the way for his captaincy title. Watch till the end!!

Securing his captaincy title for his team led to a national award. Matthijs de Ligt became the youngest-ever captain of a professional side in the history of Dutch football. The Leiderdorp native is indeed one of the biggest gains of Ajax under Erik ten Hag‘s era.

The rest, as they say, is now history.

About Annick Diekman – Matthijs de Ligt’s Girlfriend:

Behind every successful footballer, there is indeed a glamorous wag or girlfriend. For Matthijs, right before he became successful, one beautiful lady had already given her heart out to him.

Let's introduce you to Annick Diekman.
Let’s introduce you to Annick Diekman.

Ligt, at the time of writing, is in a relationship with Annick Diekman, a hockey girl who plays for HC Athena, a club in Amsterdam.

Annick is also not afraid of spotlights as she is also into acting. She is a graduate of a youth theatre school in Amsterdam.

News of their affair came to light in mid-2014, a time when both were just childhood sweethearts who began dating. Matthijs Ligt, pictured below, was just 15 years of age at that time.

Despite being together for a long time, Matthijs and Annick have both not made any decision on settling down.

Besides hockey and acting, Annick has been known to spend a lot of time with Matthijs even before he became famous.

Personal Life outside football:

Unlike most promising youth footballers, Matthijs de Ligt’s personal life attribute is unique and different. It is quite similar to that of Micky van de Ven.

Many who know him describe him to be calm, driven, focused, serious, intelligent, cheerful, social, and loyal personality.

Beyond the Pitch: Matthijs de Ligt's Unconventional Blend of Focus and Cheerfulness.
Beyond the Pitch: Matthijs de Ligt’s Unconventional Blend of Focus and Cheerfulness.

Matthijs does not like having non-career-related attention and loves to spend time alone to himself. If he is not playing football, he would be with Annick or probably play FIFA or watch shows on Netflix all day.

He isn’t the type of person who wants to hang out with everyone. Most recently, His mom had to push him to get his driver’s license, which didn’t work out.

Matthijs said his acquiring driving lessons wouldn’t fit into his personal training schedule. Day in and day out, Matthijs often get his mind constantly occupied with what he needs to be a good defender.

Fact Check:

Thanks for reading our Matthijs de Ligt Childhood Story plus Untold Biography Facts.

At LifeBogger, we strive for accuracy and fairness in our quest to deliver the life history of Dutch Central Defenders. Surely, the Life History of Virgil van Dijk and Perr Schuurs will excite you.

If you find something that doesn’t look right, please share it with us by commenting below. We’ll always value and respect your ideas.

Hi there! I am Hale Hendrix, a passionate football enthusiast and writer dedicated to uncovering the untold stories of footballers' childhood and biography. With a deep love for the beautiful game, I have spent countless hours researching and interviewing players to bring to light the lesser-known details of their lives.

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